Alien: Post-Apocalypse
by Gurchinator
Summary: After Earth is all but destroyed by nuclear war, two lone xenomorphs struggle to survive and find their place in the post-apocalyptic wastelands. But the utterly ruthless organization known as Phoenix has an agenda of its own. [M xenomorph/F xenomorph (clean)]
1. Chapter 1- Scorched Earth

**Alien: Post-Apocalypse**

Chapter 1: Scorched Earth

In retrospect, it was entirely inevitable. In fact, the only remarkable thing about it was that it hadn't happened sooner. Humanity detonated its first nuclear weapon 259 years ago, and in doing so it became Earth's first and only native species that wielded the capacity to literally destroy the planet. That day, on July 16th 1945, at the Trinity testing site in New Mexico, Humanity sealed its own home world's fate. 258 Years later, the Alliance of American Empires and the United Eurasian Nations began the war that would trigger it all. The first 6 months of the war were indescribably bloody, but paled in comparison to what came after. The AAE, realizing that it was losing the war slowly but surely, was the first to resort to its nuclear arsenal. However, the obvious predicted outcome became reality, as the UEN retaliated in kind just before it was obliterated under nuclear fire. The results were a global holocaust of about 85% of the Earth's population, and the end of the war with no victor. Earth's global environment was ruined beyond repair; much of its surface covered in the flash-melted glass and lethal radiation one would expect from a global thermonuclear war. However, Earth's story is far from over. A couple years after the great war and in spite of most of the planet being dry desert and extremely close to utterly uninhabitable, life clung on.

…

Night had finally fallen once more over the desert of what the humans once called north-western New Mexico. Verexa slowly brought her sleek black form out of the alcove in the towering rock formation, which had been her nest for a few months now. Climbing the small ledges with ease, she soon reached the top of the rocky spire, taking a seat and wrapping her long segmented tail several times around her clawed feet. Before her laid a vast and seemingly empty expanse of flat desert with a group of large plateaus in the distance. The landscape was pitch black, save for the dim light from the stars and half-moon in the clear sky above. However, her array of trans-visual senses allowed her to see it just as easily as if it had been broad daylight as she silently scanned the area.

There! Far off in the distance, the orange, flickering light of a small fire shone clearly at the mouth of a canyon between two plateaus leading into the massive desert plain. With that, she immediately took off, darting down the vertical side of the spire.

After a few minutes of hard sprinting, she neared the source of the fire. Redirecting toward the plateau to her right, she scaled the cliff a couple hundred meters from the fire, and then crawled along the side of the plateau back toward her original destination. She was soon directly above the fire. She looked down and found a small camp site with three humans huddled around the fire as well as three four legged creatures, which appeared to be the humans' mounts and pack carriers and did not seem dangerous. The humans were much too busy eating and quietly talking amongst themselves to notice impending doom in the form of an alien creature three meters from head to tail tip and literally armed to the teeth, who waited patiently above their heads. Verexa had all the time in the world but only one life to lose. She was an apex predator by design, but knew not to risk injury over what should be an easy kill. So, she waited ever so patiently for the humans to finish their meals and drift to sleep.

Slowly and silently, Verexa crept down the cliff face. When she was only about five meters above the camp, she leaped down directly on top of one of the humans, crushing his skull beneath her foot as she gracefully landed with hardly a sound. Startled, the four legged creatures whined loudly, waking the remaining two humans who quickly got to their feet on the opposite side of the fire from Verexa. With calm focus, she grabbed the corpse beneath her and hurled it directly at the human to her left with enough force to knock him back several meters where he landed with a thud. The human to her right was distracted by this, but looked back just in time to see Verexa tackle him to the ground. He fell flat on his back with his arms pinned beneath the dark monster atop of him. She brought her tail directly over her head and drove its razor sharp tip straight through the human's forehead as he screamed. By now, the last human had gotten back onto his feet, brandished a long knife, and began to charge toward her. Verexa met the human's desperate charge and deftly caught his hand in one of her own as he thrust the knife toward her. Using her free hand, she grabbed his shoulder, spun him around, and pulled him backward against her chest. She then used her far superior strength to force his knife hand up toward his rib cage. The human screamed out in agony as his own knife pierced between his ribs all the way to the hilt. Hissing with satisfaction, Verexa slowly twisted her hand, and by extension the knife, until the human stopped screaming. She then released the corpse and let it fall limp to the ground. She tilted her elongated head back and let out a blood curdling screech into the night.

Nearby, the four legged creatures whined and struggled to escape, but to no avail, as they were tightly tethered to metal stakes driven into the ground. Verexa quickly dispatched them by running her bladed tail across their throats, and once they were all dead, she crouched over one of the creatures and began to satiate her hunger. She was soon full on enough meat to stave her hunger off for at least another dozen day and night cycles. Her thirst, however, was another story. After a quick search, she let out a contented hiss upon finding a large container of water in the side pack on one of the creatures. With a sharp talon at the end of one of her fingers, she punctured the container at what appeared to be the top. She tilted her head back and turned the container upside down above her open mouth. She drank as much as she could, careful to spill as little as possible, and then let out a satisfied hiss after turning the container right side up again and setting it on the ground.

She looked around at the vast, empty landscape once more and enjoyed the cold silence aside from the quiet popping of the dying fire. Sitting down next to it, she began to let her mind wonder. Memories of the times before the great war that destroyed her hive and Mother were quick to come up. She enjoyed the calm memories of her days in the small hive in the caves she once called home with the other xenomorphs she called family. The memory of the bond she had with Mother brought her great joy until she also remember the excruciating feeling of that bond being destroyed along with her home and family beneath a nuclear mushroom cloud. It had only been by chance that Mother had tasked her with scouting the human activity at their base a few kilometers away from the hive, and it was only by chance that the warhead destined for that base was off course by a few kilometers... directly toward the hive. Verexa shook her head as she remembered watching from a distance as her home was destroyed and feeling the telepathic link with her family ripped from her very mind. She had mindlessly run north for days without heed of what saw her until she collapsed from exhaustion and began the process of mentally recovering from such mental shock. It was still painful to think about, so she forced herself to focus on the here and now.

She rose to her feet and contemplated what to do next. There was still plenty of water left in the container, and there was no telling how long it would be before Verexa found more, so she decided it would be best to take it with her. She also decided that it was time for her to move on to find a new place to rest and hunt, and she chose west for her direction of travel. She traveled for several hours as fast as she could despite being restricted to her legs only, as she carried the water container in her arms.

Soon, the sun started to rise at her back, but she didn't stop since she appeared to be all alone as she traversed through dry hills covered in dead shrubs. Then, she felt a presence nearby, but couldn't figure out exactly in which direction or how close. It felt familiar but certainly unrecognized. She slowed her pace and then came to a halt between two large rocks, setting the water container down silently. She could feel that whatever it was that was nearby, was now very close. Sensing movement just on the opposite sides of one of the rocks, Verexa crouched and prepared to lunge at the other being. Her huntress instincts told her that it was now a kill or be killed situation, and she was nothing if not a survivor.

**Author's Note: This is my first Alien/AVP fanfic, and comments, reviews, and constructive criticism are all highly welcomed and encouraged. Trolling and flaming are not so encouraged, but if that's what you feel inclined to comment with, go ahead. Also, I'm not sure if anyone noticed but there were some places I typed "Vexera" instead of "Verexa" (that's what I get for changing the character's name half way through the chapter), but those are all fixed now, and the character's name is officially Verexa. Again, please comment with anything, especially criticism and suggestions/ideas, and thank you very much for reading!**

**I do not own anything in this story except the plot and characters.**


	2. Chapter 2- Escape

**Alien: Post-Apocalypse**

Chapter 2: Escape

Head Researcher Doctor Connors found himself in perhaps the worst situation imaginable. He was on the lower levels of the massive underground Phoenix research facility known only as The Citadel, the main reactor was reportedly in meltdown, containment procedures of both the reactor's radiation and the research specimens within the facility were failing along with the power, and the back up generators had failed to come online. Connors walked briskly down a ramp and into yet another corridor on his way to the main reactor. He could feel the panic in his subordinate researchers as he passed by. This only became worse as all primary lighting within the facility went out and the self powered emergency lights came on, bathing the metal hallways in dim red light.

Connors swore that once he found the person whose gross incompetence had caused such a failure, they would be made an example of. He came to the airlock that lead to the reactor chamber, and already the small device that he carried gave off a radiation warning. There was no time for him to put on a radiation suit; every passing moment brought the reactor closer to going critical and damaging itself beyond repair... or worse. The airlock finally cycled him through.

_At least that's still working, _he thought to himself. Within the chamber, there stood a lone technician who seemed remarkably calm, but what was concerning to Doctor Connors was the fact that the technician was doing nothing to repair the reactor. Then, he noticed the gun in his hand and the two other technicians dead on the floor.

"What have you done?" Connors asked urgently, recognizing the technician as Doctor Hadley. Hadley was a bright young man, just a bit too idealistic. Nevertheless, the man was an expert on nuclear technology, and Connors was eager to make him the lead nuclear technician when the facility had been found and Connors was put in charge of it. Hadley slowly turned to face Doctor Connors, as he had previously been standing with his back to him, not caring when he had heard the airlock open.

"I've begun rectifying the moral bankruptcy of The Citadel. You know as well as I do that the atrocities that Phoenix is ordering here are wrong. So now I'm putting an end to it!" Hadley stated.

He had a point. The things that Phoenix was willing to do to its own people for the sake of "progress" were indeed atrocious. However, an organization such as Phoenix had no need for its members' judgment of right and wrong. Connors was well aware of this, but it seemed that Hadley had succumbed to his own short sighted morality. He shook his head, _such a shame._

"Well then, you know as well as I do that I can't let you do that. The so called 'atrocities' here are for the good of not only Phoenix but all of humanity." Connors replied.

Hadley raised the gun in his hand, aimed down the sight directly at Connors, and coldly said "You don't have a choice."

…

Specimen 002 laid curled with his long tail wrapped around him in the corner of the small cell that he had been kept in for almost his entire life, bar the times that he was taken to the research chambers. The humans had studied him to see just how intelligent he was, and they had tested him very thoroughly... or so they thought. What the humans hadn't accounted for was his ability to play dumb. Specimen 002 was extremely intelligent for his species, although lacking experience of the world. He had observed the humans' routines, learned their habits, their anatomy, and even a basic understanding of their strange verbal language. Above all, he knew that the less the humans knew about him, the greater his chances were of freeing himself from whatever this place was. He had no idea where he would go or what that place might be like, but he assured himself that it must be better than here. So, he bided his time and performed the tests sufficiently for the humans to have reason to keep him fed, while still withholding his true potential.

For perhaps the thousandth time, he wondered just how much longer he would be forced to wait for an opportunity to escape. Just then, as though someone had listened to his thought for the very first time, the light in the cell went out and was immediately replaced with a much dimmer red light. Specimen 002 sat upright as he heard a small noise from the door and slowly approached it. It didn't open, but he wedged his claws between the seam of the door and was elated to see the two halves budge ever so slightly as he pried them apart. Reaching the whole of both of his hands into the small gap, he managed to pull them apart about half a meter; more than enough room for him to squeeze through. As he exited the cell, he found himself in a large, empty corridor lined with doors identical to the one to his cell and a metal grated ceiling. He was more than tall enough to reach up and grab one of the sections of the grate and pull it down with considerable effort, which told him the remaining grate would be able to support his weight.

With that, he climbed into the narrow passage above the grate, and began crawling swiftly through the vents. He wasn't sure where it would lead him, but he decided it was best for him to put as much distance between him and his cell as possible, as the humans would soon learn of his escape if they didn't already know.

…

Doctor Connors charged toward Hadley even as the muzzle of the gun flashed and he felt a searing pain in his left shoulder. He rammed into Hadley before he could fire another round. The two doctors crashed to the floor in front of the failing reactor. Connors delivered a quick punch to Hadley's jaw and then proceeded to grab the hand holding the gun and bash it against the metal floor until Hadley lost his grip on the weapon.

Quickly taking the handgun for himself and getting to his feet, Connors took aim and pulled the trigger twice, both bullets lodging themselves in Hadley's chest.

Hadley locked eyes with Connors and spat, "We're all gonna burn for the things that happened here!" His pain stricken eyes closed, and he stopped breathing once and for all.

Just then, the executive PDA that Doctor Connors carried began beeping with an alert. Casting the gun away, he took the PDA and saw several warnings including radiation detected throughout the facility as well as several specimens unaccounted for in the containment wing. Seeing no other options, he activated Contingency Plan Omega; locking down the blast door and putting the main reactor into permanent shut down. Unbeknownst to him, Hadley had sabotaged the backup generators, causing them to remain offline despite the emergency lock down. The fuel rods were shunted from the nuclear reactor, but with no power to operate the rest of the shut down protocol, radiation still bled freely from the hot rods of fissile material.

Connors realized the magnitude of his mistake too late, as the only ways out of The Citadel were now permanently sealed as per the Omega Contingency, and the facility was being filled with radiation. He slumped to the floor next the gun and realized, _Hadley was right; we're gonna burn in this place_. Grasping the handgun next to him, Doctor Connors put the barrel to his temple and pulled the trigger.

…

Specimen 002 continued to crawl through the vents, following the air current, which seemed to be leading upward. He had gone totally unnoticed by the humans below, and although revenge would certainly have been sweet if he had killed a few of them, he decided it was best to solely focus on escaping. The air became noticeably cooler all of a sudden, as he came to yet another intersection. This intersection, however, was slightly different. It had a section that went straight vertical, and the air flowed toward this vertical path. As he peered up the vertical section, Specimen 002 was amazed by what he saw. Beyond the metal grate that covered the end of the vent was something he had never seen anything like: the open night sky of planet Earth.

He darted up the vent and rammed through the metallic grate. Scanning his surroundings, he found nothing but dry, rocky ground, dead shrubs, and rolling hills in the distance. He noticed a glowing light beyond the hills and watched the as the sun slowly began to peek above them. It was the first time in his life that Specimen 002 had seen a sunrise, and it gave him a surprisingly warm feeling inside. With no better direction to travel in, he began to run toward the rising sun.

He ran for hours without seeing anything aside from the empty desert landscape, which had gotten hotter and hotter as the sun rose higher and higher in the sky. He crossed through the hills, but slowed after awhile and stopped to rest for awhile near two large boulders. He had been fed just the day before his escape, but he was already feeling the need for water return. Unfortunately, water was not among the things he saw while traveling.

Only a short while passed while he rested against one of the massive rocks before he became aware of the fact that he could sense the presence of another being very close by. He leaped to his feet and assumed a fighting stance, ready for anything. He had thought he was alone, but there was no mistake that there was something on the other side of the rock, and what's more is that it seemed aware of him as well. Slowly stalking around the rock, Specimen 002 tensed and prepared to tackle the other being to the ground as his razor tipped tail reared back, ready to kill.

**Author's Note:****Again, comments are highly encouraged. I know that I gave so very little description of what Phoenix is. Basically, it's a corrupt faction that formed after the war (rising from the ashes of atomic war), which has very similar ethics to Weyland-Yutani (which, for all intents and purposes, does not exist in this fanfic).**** (spoilers)** This is not the last we've seen of Phoenix or The Citadel, and the only reason for my mentioning them in this chapter is to foreshadow and for the sake of convenience in introducing my second main character (end spoilers). Thanks again for reading!

**I do not own anything in this story except the plot and characters.**


	3. Chapter 3- Two's Company

**Alien: Post-Apocalypse**

Chapter 3: Two's company

Specimen 002 barely caught a glimpse of the dark figure on the other side of the rock before it lunged forward directly at him. Nevertheless, he was prepared for such an assault. Just as the other being rammed into him, he began to turn to one side, thus using the kinetic energy of his attacker against it. Both creatures crashed to the dry ground, but not before Specimen 002 had completed his turn in midair and came down on top of his assailant. With lightning reflexes, he seized his brief advantage and poised his tail to drive up from under the other's chin and impale its skull.

A split second before delivering the fatal blow, Specimen 002 halted and held completely still as he realized two things: first, the creature beneath him was the first of his own kind besides himself that he had ever seen, and secondly, the tip of its tail pressed against his rib cage in much the same fashion that his pressed against the other's chin ready to kill. It seemed the other had made the same realization as him; that they were alike.

Immediately, Specimen 002 got up from atop the other xenomorph, stood on his hind legs, and backed away a few steps. He maintained a fighting stance, claws bared and tail flicking side to side in anticipation, but he was almost certain that the fight was over, otherwise one of them would be dead already. He took the opportunity to size the other xenomorph up, as it stood and also took a couple steps back, though it didn't assume a fighting stance as he had. It was slightly smaller than him and had a smooth carapace, as opposed to his ridged one. He possessed strange memories that weren't really his own, but they allowed him to recognize the other as a sentry; similar to a drone but more adapted for combat to defend the hive and hunt for prey. Sentries were also more agile and stealthy than a warrior, such as himself, though not as durable.

Catching the other xenomorph's scent, he could tell that it was in fact a female and that her aggression was indeed receding. At this, he also lowered his guard, dropping his arms and letting his tail just swish softly behind him. As near as he could tell, the other xenomorph was simply examining him as well. It was now established that neither was interested in killing the other, but Specimen 002 wondered how to proceed. As if to answer his question, he began to notice the female xenomorph's presence in his mind.

…

Verexa couldn't help but be utterly stunned. For over two years she had wondered the wastelands alone believing that she was the last of her kind on this planet. Now, just a few strides before her stood a being that she thought she would die without seeing the likes of again. She examined it thoroughly. The plated ridges on its carapace allowed her to immediately recognize the other xenomorph as a warrior. She also noted that it was a male, judging by its scent. More importantly, and rather unfortunately, she could tell that he certainly wasn't from the same long destroyed hive that she hailed from. _Wishful thinking, I suppose, _Verexa thought to herself, _Forget it. They are all dead, and nothing will change that. But it would not hurt to have a companion; even if they don't share a common bloodline with me._

However, the fact that the warrior in front of her wasn't from the same mother as her did pose a problem: there was no pre-established telepathic link between them. Verexa wasn't sure if the establishment of a link between two non-familiar xenomorphs was even possible, but she decided it was definitely worth trying. Focusing her mind toward his own, Verexa projected a simple _"Hello?"_

The other xenomorph's head twitched slightly in her direction, indicating that he had received her thought to some degree. What she received back gave her an idea of just how well her message had been received, as it was little more jumbled noise in her head. Nevertheless, she tried again. Straining to project her thoughts with absolute focus, she said, _"Can you understand me?"_

This time, the thoughts that the other xenomorph sent in return were much more understandable. They were not coherent words, but as xenomorph communication carried much more than just speech, Verexa could tell that it was an affirmative. She smiled inwardly at the progress that they had made, and took a couple deliberate steps forward, still focusing her mind on the being before her.

…

Specimen 002 was amazed at what was happening. He had been alive for about two years and had not once communicated so directly with anything or anyone. The sentry in front of him spoke again to him and his mind strained desperately to comprehend. After a short moment of deciphering, he recognized it as interrogative and even managed to catch _"... understand...?" _

He heard it inside his very mind, yet it sounded so very far away. Thrilled, nevertheless, that he had been able to comprehend at least part of the other xenomorph's speech, he immediately began to struggle to form a reply. He was incapable of sending words just yet, as the other had, but he managed to send what would suffice for a 'yes.' Specimen 002 could tell that his thoughts had been properly received and interpreted, and the sentry took a couple small steps toward him. He felt her presence in his mind already beginning to grow stronger. It hurt slightly, causing a dull ache within his brain, but he ignored it and was eager to continue; communication was completely new to him, and he was anxious to develop his new skill.

…

The warrior made no motion to halt Verexa's advance, and as she came closer, she held out her right hand, palm open, toward him. Deciding that simple words and phrases were best while establishing initial communication, she focused her mind toward his and said, _"Friend."_

At first, the other xenomorph remained still, but after a short pause, he also reached out is right hand and placed its palm against her own and replied, _"Friend."_ She took a moment to examine his hand against hers. Both of his fingers and both of his thumbs lined perfectly with hers, though his were considerably larger. Again, Verexa smiled inwardly at the fact that their telepathy was growing stronger by the minute, but resisted the urge to grip the other's hand as she might have done with a new friend from her own hive. It had been years since she last spoke to another being, and while she greatly enjoyed it, she still knew next to nothing about the other xenomorph. Still, it felt good to call him "friend," and she was certainly appreciative for having another's company.

Suddenly, the warrior dropped his hand and turned his head away from her. Verexa followed his gaze toward the container of water she had set down just before their little scuffle. Realizing that they were still standing in the hot desert sun, it was quite obvious why it had attracted his attention, so she asked, _"Thirsty?"_

The warrior looked back to her and sent her another affirmative, but this one was accompanied with a distant sounding _"Yes." _

Verexa immediately strode toward the container, picked it up, and proffered it to him. True, water was an extremely precious resource in the wastelands to just give freely to someone. Verexa had survived for the past two years by finding water in small pools inside of shallow caves, which were often dry by the time she returned for more, or by finding containers similar to the one she now carried among the supplies that humans carried. She had seen it rain less than a dozen times in well over two years since the great war. The warrior was hesitant and seemed to understand the rarity of that which she was offering freely, so he asked, _"Are you sure?"_

Slightly surprised at the improvement in his speech, Verexa nevertheless took another step toward him and extended her arms a bit more. _"Yes. Please, drink."_

At this, he took the container from her, albeit with a hint of reluctance, and began to satiate his thirst. Careful not to waste any or to drink too greedily, he carefully lowered the water container and held it out for her to take back. After setting the container back on the rocky ground, she said to her new friend, _"I am named Verexa, and what are you called?"_

…

Specimen 002 understood what she had said, and immediately committed Verexa's name to memory. However, the second part of her statement confused him. As he thought about it, he realized that "Specimen 002" was a designation assigned to him by the human researcher's in The Citadel, and it was certainly not his name. In fact, it seemed that in his entire life he had never been given a name and hadn't chosen one for himself. Realizing that Verexa was still patiently waiting for him to reply, he focused his mind on their telepathic link so as to form a more coherent sentence, seeing just how well his communication had developed so far. _"It is pleasing to meet you, Verexa. Though to answer your question, I have only ever been called 'Specimen 002,' and do not have a name." _he said, conveying a hint of embarrassment with his thoughts. Nevertheless, he was extremely impressed with his relatively complex yet clear reply.

…

Verexa tilted her head slightly to one side mostly in astonishment that her friend was suddenly speaking so coherently after struggling to speak at all just a short while ago, but also out of curiosity at the fact that he had such a strange designation and no given name. She would seek to learn more about that later, but for now she said, _"I am sorry to hear that, but it is also pleasing to meet you all the same." _

The warrior lowered his head slightly, unsure of what to say next, before returning his gaze to Verexa and asking, _"Could... you give me a name?"_

She was slightly taken aback by his request. Only a queen had the right to name her children, and Verexa would never be a queen, nor would the other xenomorph ever be her child. However, her queen was dead, and given the situation, Verexa decided it was safe to assume that his queen had suffered a similar fate, even though she knew so little about him or where he came from. Tentatively, she asked, _"Would you not prefer to name yourself?"_

_"No, I place my trust in you to name me," _the warrior replied, sounding noticeably less distant in her mind.

Verexa made a note of the fact that he had specifically said "I place my trust in you," and indeed, it was a significant gesture for him to allow, and furthermore, request for her to give him a name. Deep in thought, Verexa sat cross-legged with her back to one of the boulders they were between until her four dorsal tubes rested against the stone and gestured for her friend to sit next to her, also indicating this via their telepathic link. He complied, assuming a similar sitting position a distance away from her that was respectful of her personal space.

A short while passed as she thought. He obviously needed a male's name, so she went through a mental list of the names of her hive-brothers that she remembered. Some of the names that she thought of belonged to friends who were now long dead, and the memories that came with them were pleasant yet very painful when coupled with the knowledge of their death. _No!_ she thought to herself, _neither those memories nor those names have any place in my mind any longer._ So, she began trying to invent an original name. After another short while, she had one.

_"How do you feel about 'Thoulux'?" _she inquired. As xenomorph names go, it was indeed masculine, and she had never met another of their kind who bore it, so it would suffice so long as he accepted it.

…

Specimen 002, or rather Thoulux, was very pleased with the name that his friend had given to him. He quickly responded, _"Yes, most definitely!" _then, more composedly, he added _"Thank you, Verexa" _He also conveyed warmness along with his appreciation. He had, however, caught the subtle discomfort and distress which came from the sentry while she was still thinking about his name. He wasn't sure what had caused it, but it was gone now. He decided that he ought to ask her about it later.

_"It's my pleasure, Thoulux." _she replied politely, relieved that he was satisfied with the name she had given him. The sun was rapidly sinking in the sky by now, and both xenomorphs decided that it was time to continue moving to find a place to stay for awhile. _"I wouldn't mind if you accompanied me. In fact, I think I would like that... if that's what you want as well." _she offered.

Thoulux was completely new to the world outside the Citadel, and therefore had no objective or place to go. Not to mention that between giving him water and a name, he felt at least somewhat indebted to Verexa, though it didn't seem she thought that way. With that, he replied a confident and non-hesitant _"Certainly. Lead the way."_

Together, they stood, and Verexa began walking toward the north-west. Before she made it far, Thoulux picked up the water container and the gallon or so of the precious liquid that it still contained, and caught up to his friend. Once he had joined her at her side, he immediately handed the container back to her, which she accepted with an aura of embarrassment emanating from her due to almost forgetting it. He would gladly have carried it for her had she asked him to do so, but as far as he was concerned, it was still hers.

The pair of xenomorphs soon picked up their pace as they set out on the desert wasteland with the sun sinking just to their left.

**Author's Note: I know, not much action in this chapter, but character development is a lot more important in my mind, and now that our main characters have met, the plot and conflict can start to pick up a bit more. As always, please comment with constructive criticism, suggestions, ideas, etc., and thank you very much for reading. Also: WOO! 100+ views!**

**I do not own anything in this story except the plot and characters.**


	4. Chapter 4- Watched

**Author's Note:**** It's come to my attention that some people don't like the idea of xenomorphs having human characteristics. Indeed, the Aliens canon indicates that xenomorphs, while intelligent, are strictly primal and act mainly on instincts. With that said, please understand that this is a fan ****_fiction _(not totally bound by the canon), and I personally believe that my story will be more interesting (or at least better fulfill my own goals for it) if the xenomorph characters have human-like emotions, personal attachments, and communication between them. If this isn't to your taste, than I apologize that this isn't the story for you. However, if you're at least somewhat interested, please read on and comment with feedback and suggestions. **

**Alien: Post-Apocalypse**

Chapter 4: Watched

Night had fallen once again, and the pair of xenomorphs continued on after already traveling several kilometers. They only walked for the most part, as they had no particular destination except for hopefully finding a place with adequate shelter and perhaps a nearby water supply if they were extremely lucky. Along the way, they spoke to one another via their mutual telepathic link, which continued to strengthen albeit much less rapidly now that Thoulux had grasped the basics. They were now speaking clearly with one another, and their voices sounded less and less distant to each other. One time, Verexa had run ahead of her friend in order to test the link at a distance, but they were both disappointed to find that communication rapidly became more difficult as the physical distance between them grew.

_"With time, our link will grow stronger, and we'll be able to speak to one another from farther away," _Verexa immediately reassured him upon returning to his side. At that, Thoulux had extended to her his positive feelings about strengthening their link. Verexa recalled the times when she could hear the call of Mother and talk to her siblings from more than a kilometer away, and somehow she knew that her link with Thoulux would eventually grow to be that strong despite not being born with this link. That thought brought a warm feeling to her; she realized that she yearned for companionship ever since losing the hive and her family. Turning her head to face Thoulux, she was thankful that she had the opportunity for such companionship once again.

Thoulux noticed her gaze and turned to face her as well. _"Yes?" _he asked neutrally. They continued to walk at the same pace. Their trans-visual senses were most focused on what was directly in front of them, relative to their faces, but allowed them to sense the environment all the way around them; not unlike a human's peripheral vision, except in a full 360 degrees.

_"Simply appreciating your company," _Verexa replied along with a warm feeling of friendship, which Thoulux promptly reciprocated.

Together, they traveled a short while longer until they came upon a steep, rocky slope. About halfway up the slope was a crevice about a meter tall and two meters wide. Quickly scaling up the slope despite the container of water that Thoulux was now carrying in one hand, they crawled into the small crevice and found an alcove, which was a few meters in diameter; ample room for the duo of xenomorphs. Thoulux set the container down near the center of the alcove and peered around the small shelter they had found in order to get a feel for it. There wasn't much to it. It was just an area lined with time worn stone and a most disappointing lack of water.

_"I think it will make a good shelter for us, at least for another day cycle or so before we need to find a source of water," _Verexa said.

Due to living in an underground facility for almost his entire life, Thoulux had little understanding about Earth's day and night cycle, but he trusted what Verexa said. _"I agree. We'll rest here until we need to move on," _he said, and with that, he lied down on the cold stone ground and curled into a comfortable sleeping position. Verexa assumed a similar position a short but respectful distance from him. Sleep was quick to come to both of them.

…

Thoulux woke a few hours later and found that the alcove was now bathed in sunlight, as the morning sun shone directly through the opening. Lifting his head slightly from its rested position, he noticed Verexa's silhouette in front of the sunlight. She was already awake and was sitting neatly, watching the sun rise in the entrance to the alcove. Thoulux slowly rose from his prone position and stretched as he did so. A few dull pops sounded from his vertebrae before he sauntered over to his friend on all fours. Once he reached her side, he took a seat next to her.

_"It's an impressive sight to see at the beginning of a new day," _she said with a hint of reminiscence. Thoulux noticed that her mental voice was sounding increasingly detailed to him; taking on the soft, high tone of a female.

_"Yes it is," _Thoulux agreed, gaining a better understanding of the day cycle of this planet.

Some time passed before Verexa spoke again, _"So... what exactly is your origin? I've been told that not all mothers name their children as mine did, but how did you come to be called 'Specimen002?'"_

Thoulux caught that Verexa had said "did," not "does" when referring to her mother, and he made a note of that before considering how to answer her question. He replied, _"I was not born with a mother or hive to guide me. I have strange... memories of such things, yet no first hand experience of them. I was born from my host in a cage, which I was kept in for most of my life by humans. 'Specimen002' was the designation the humans gave to me." _His recount was accompanied with obvious distaste and a self-explanatory reluctance to recall his past.

Verexa was shocked at what he had told her, but she appreciated his honesty and forthcoming. _"I'm sorry to hear of that," _she said sadly, almost regretting asking in the first place. It was disgusting to learn that a prey species had kept one of her kind captive and deprived him of his mother and family. She was amazed that he was as normal as he was with that being the case. Thinking back on what he'd said, the memories that he mentioned likely played a large role in his proper development, and she had an explanation to give him regarding them. _"These memories you mentioned are known as 'hive-memories.' They contain the basic knowledge of our species and are instilled in every xenomorph from birth," _she explained.

_"I see," _Thoulux replied, genuinely interested in this revelation. _"And thank you for your sympathy," _he continued. He then decided it was his turn to learn a bit more about her and get answers to some of the questions he had come up with regarding his new friend. _"While you were considering a name for me, I sensed that your mind was troubled," _he stated, hoping it would prompt her to tell him what had troubled her.

_"Well, I suppose it's only fair that I share my past with you also. I was... fortunate enough to be away from my hive when the humans' war brought destruction to it," _she elaborated before continuing, _"They ravaged their own planet, and in doing so, they took my home and my kin away from me in a single heartbeat!" _She stopped herself there; she hadn't intended to get so worked up about it. After all, it ought to have been a well healed wound after all this time. But Thoulux wasn't bothered even a bit by her emotionally charged recollection. He simply reached over and gave her arm a gentle, reassuring stroke. _"Inventing a name for you caused me to also remember some of the names of dead brothers and friends of mine," _she continued solemnly after composing herself. _"But I am honored to have given you your name nonetheless," _she said a bit more cheerfully.

Thoulux spent a few moments contemplating what it must have been like for her. Of course, he couldn't directly relate to her predicament; being born away from one's hive is a totally different problem from watching one's hive be destroyed. However, he felt the pain that emanated from his friend, and that's all he needed in order to understand. He gave her his deepest feelings of condolence via their telepathic link and decided it was best to leave it alone beyond that; she'd answered his question, which he now regretted, and now it was time to move on. He got to his feet and exited the alcove. Verexa was quick to follow. _"So, what should our objectives be for the immediate future?" _Thoulux inquired, tactfully changing the subject in favor of progress.

_"Well first, I would like to see how my warrior companion handles himself in a fight." _Verexa answered as they reached flatter ground at the bottom of the slope, a hint of good natured challenge in her mental voice.

Thoulux stopped and turned around to see Verexa in front of him, whose tail was already flicking in anticipation. _"Very well," _he replied concisely and with confidence. He caught the scent of her aggression and readied himself for her proposed sparring match.

Verexa immediately took to all fours and began circling Thoulux while he kept to his hind legs and bared his powerful arms for attack and defense rather than mobility. Clearly, Verexa would try to use her greater mobility to compensate her slightly lesser strength; a quick series a precise movements could end the fight without struggle and render his strength and defenses worthless. Her opponent, however, was well on his guard and kept a close watch on her movements, ready to make the split second reactions necessary to defend himself from such an agile opponent.

Without warning, Verexa lunged toward the warrior, but he leaped sideways just barely in time to dodge her. In one graceful movement, she turned and darted straight for Thoulux's exposed back as he was still reorienting himself from his narrow evasion. This time, he wasn't quick enough, and Verexa seized her opportunity to grab his shoulders. Just before she could strike, Thoulux reach over his shoulders, grabbed his opponent by the forearms, and used his brute strength to hurl her right over his head. Assuming that she had won, Verexa was shocked when the tables had suddenly turned just before her victory. Quickly recovering, she managed to land on her feet right as Thoulux began to charge toward her. When he was only a few strides from tackling into her, she quickly wrapped her tail around one of his ankles in a quick motion and then whipped her tail back toward her. The warrior fell backwards and landed on his back with a thud, his dorsal tubes flexing upward painfully. In an instant, Verexa followed up by jumping on top of him before he could recover and pinned his arms to the ground. Slowly regaining his bearings, Thoulux struggled fruitlessly to get back up. The sentry leaned her head forward over his face, opened her mouth to extend her inner jaws, and delivered the fatal blow... with only enough force to cause a dull _thump _and leave a spot of her saliva on his forehead.

Knowing full well that he'd been defeated, Thoulux stopped struggling. Verexa retracted her inner jaws, but the corners of her lips remained pulled up in what could only be described as a xenomorph smile. She was clearly pleased with her victory. Removing her hands from his arms, she leaned on her forearms against his chest with her face just in front of his. _"That was a much better fight than any human could pose, but..." _she tapped his saliva covered forehead with one claw tipped finger, _"if only you'd been a bit quicker." _

Thoulux laid completely still. He listened to her words, but couldn't ignore her proximity to him. The thought of throwing her off of him and beginning a rematch crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it. She had won honorably, and besides, for some reason that he couldn't quite put his finger on, he wasn't in any hurry to get her off of him. He was simply content to look back at the sentry, unsure of what to do next. After a short pause, Verexa stood up and offered her hand to Thoulux, which he took and used it to help pull himself up.

It was then that both xenomorphs simultaneously picked up the wind carried scent of a nearby animal. Thoulux didn't recognize the scent at all, but his sentry companion knew it to be that of a coyote... make that two, no three coyotes as she tasted the scent a bit more clearly. The small fur covered creatures were fairly abundant in the deserts and were hardly a threat to a xenomorph, even in packs, but they were good to eat, and what's more is that they seemed very close by.

_"I can hardly believe our luck! Come, follow me." _she said excitedly. With that, she began stalking toward the general location from which the scent was emanating from with Thoulux right behind her. Up ahead, there was a cluster of dry shrubs and rocks, and suddenly, one of the coyotes appeared from behind a bush and locked its eyes on the approaching xenomorphs. It bared its fangs and gave a loud growl, and the other coyotes soon came to its side. At that, the xenomorphs sprinted forward on all fours. Two of the coyotes ran to meet their charge, but the third one was reluctant and turned to flee instead.

In moments, the xenomorphs and the horribly disadvantaged pair of coyotes clashed. Thoulux skidded to a halt and stood upright just as one of the coyotes leaped toward him with teeth and claws bared. He deftly caught the canine in midair with one hand around its neck. It yelped in surprise, and the warrior followed up by hurling it into the rocky ground. It impacted with a sickening crunch and went limp. Thoulux immediately began searching for the other coyote and found it with Verexa's tail impaling its chest. The third coyote was long gone by now, and they decided it wasn't worth chasing after.

The pair of xenomorphs returned to their small cave with Thoulux carrying both of the dead coyotes under his arms. Once there, Thoulux and Verexa shared their meal together. The vulpine creatures were slightly emaciated, but the hyper-efficient digestive systems of the xenomorphs would ensure that the meat wasn't wasted. They washed it down with some of the remaining and increasingly precious water, and Thoulux went out to dispose of the clean picked carcasses.

He returned to find Verexa looking at him with her curiosity clearly piqued. _"Something you wish to ask?" _he inquired.

_"You said that the humans once called you 'Specimen002,' correct?" _she asked straight to the point. Thoulux replied in the affirmative. _"Then wouldn't there have been a Specimen001, and maybe others as well? Did you ever see another xenomorph where you came from?"_

After briefly searching his memory, Thoulux replied, _"No. You are the only other of our kind that I've ever seen in person. But... now that you mention it, it would make sense that they kept others there as well."_

Verexa thought for a moment and her excitement rose with the possibility of finding other xenomorphs... perhaps even a queen! _"Thoulux, we must return to the place you came from to search for the others," _she said with conviction and then immediately realized her mistake: it was likely that he would be extremely reluctant to ever go back to that place. _"... if you're up for that, of course," _she added.

Thoulux hesitated, but eventually replied, _"Yes, you're right. We should go back to The Citadel and free the other xenomorphs if there are any, but we must do so carefully: if the humans capture either of us..." _he trailed off.

Verexa filled in the blanks for herself, but his hint of concern for her didn't go unnoticed. She smiled inwardly at it, but left it alone for now. _"Right. If there are others, we are no good to them if we get caught," _she said._ "We'll rest here for another night, and then make our way to this 'Citadel.'"_

…

The sun began to sink in the sky once again. Thoulux sat alone atop the slope and watched as Sol approached the horizon. He finally began to understand that day and night gave way to each other at predictable intervals. He got to his feet and made his way down toward the crevice. Upon entering it, he saw Verexa already laying down and most likely asleep. They had agreed to leave before the sun came up again, so it only made sense for her to get a head start on resting.

He couldn't help a warm feeling inside as he saw her. He quietly walked further into the alcove, careful not to bother his friend. Laying down perhaps a little closer to her than he had the night before, he prepared to follow her to sleep. Just before he did fall asleep, he noticed that the end of Verexa's tail had draped itself over his own. Whether she had been awake all along and had done so purposefully or if her tail had just moved on its own in her sleep, he wasn't sure. Regardless, Thoulux enjoyed the contact for reasons he wasn't sure of and drifted to sleep all the more contentedly.

…

A couple hours had passed, and the moon now shone brightly over the desert sand. Thoulux woke in the dark alcove in exactly the same position he fell asleep in. He saw Verexa with her tail still slightly draped over his, her chest rising and falling rhythmically as she slept. He slowly stood on all fours, and slid his tail out from underneath hers with extreme care not to disturb her before he walked toward the opening.

Just as he got to the opening, Thoulux thought he heard a series of muffled and terrified yelps in the distance. He scanned the landscape for a few moments. From where he sat, he could see the cluster of bushes and rocks where they had found the coyotes, and there seemed to be a slight movement in that area. Were his senses playing tricks on him? His doubts quickly evaporated when he saw a dark figure move from behind the a particularly large rock. But alas, it was no coyote; it was definitely bipedal and seemed to have the form of a human, but its posture was more crooked and slouched. The strange figure seemed to be carrying something, and Thoulux could just make out the shape as that of the third coyote, which had escaped the previous day. Most disturbing, however, was the pair of glowing orange eyes that the figure possessed; eyes that seemed to be staring directly at Thoulux.

He immediately turned to wake Verexa. Behind him, the sound of a long, savage scream rang out across the desert. Verexa was awoken by it and, after finding Thoulux approaching her, asked _"What was that?"_

_ "Verexa, we are not alone in this place!" _Thoulux replied urgently. Just as he finished his thought, he became aware that he could hear an extremely heavy heartbeat, which belonged to neither him nor Verexa, and was coming from just outside the alcove.

**Author's Note:**** If you are still reading this story and have decided that the idea of characterized xenomorphs is okay with you, than thank you, and I will strive not to disappoint you! As always, ****reviews, comments, and especially ideas and suggestions are always welcomed and appreciated.**

**I do not own anything in this story except the plot and characters.**


	5. Chapter 5- Us and Them

**Alien: Post-Apocalypse**

Chapter 5: Us and Them

The hive was more docile than usual, more empty, but it was a peaceful kind of empty, not the eerie kind. Verexa recognized the place she was in as Mother's chambers at the very heart of the hive. Naturally, just on the opposite side of the large chitin covered chamber was Mother herself, and she seemed very pleased to see Verexa. Usually, there would be several drones tending to her, but none were present at the moment. However, for some reason, this didn't strike Verexa as odd; in fact, she hardly even noticed.

Mother seemed to have her full attention on her only present child and reached out to her with her great mind. _**"Come closer, my child, for it has been far too long since I've seen you, and I yearn to have you close," **_she said, her thoughts conveying her motherly love.

Verexa went toward her mother eagerly and without hesitation, almost running straight into Mother's waiting arms. She was only tall enough to embrace her queen just above the hips, and Mother wrapped her protectively in her two pairs of arms. They remained like that for several moments before finally releasing their embrace. Verexa still stood before her mother, but it was difficult to meet her gaze, as she felt guilt come over her.

_"Mother, I have failed you. I have failed you, I have failed my siblings, and I have failed the hive as a whole!" _she stated with great distress.

The great queen gently placed a hand upon the shoulder of her beloved child and said, _**"Absolutely not. You did not fail me, for you did exactly as you were asked. You failed neither your siblings nor your hive, for you continue to live on in order to remember them. Tell me, what power did you or any other have against the plans that fate carried out?" **_Of course, the question was rhetorical, so she continued, _**"None. The only thing that could have happened differently concerning you is that you may have been at the hive, and you would have been destroyed with everyone else. **__**Your destiny was to be different than that, and now you have the opportunity to survive and carry on. I implore, and demand if that is what is necessary, that you seize this opportunity."**_

Verexa was astonished by her mother's words, but accepted them without question. She wanted to hug her once again. Then, she became aware that they were no longer alone in Mother's chambers. There, at the entrance, stood Thoulux, who seemed to be waiting respectfully and ever so patiently.

_**"His heart is that of a courageous warrior, and I know that he will care for you as best he can, even to his dying breath if it should come to that. Do the same for him. He will make a fine mate to you." **_Mother said in regard to Thoulux.

Verexa was a bit taken aback. First, Mother had spoken her most private feelings before she had even fully come to terms with them herself. Secondly, the queen was openly accepting an individual who was clearly from another mother and therefore perhaps even a potential threat to her regime. Verexa turned to see Thoulux directly, and her heart warmed as she did so.

_**"If circumstances were different, I would only be too happy to accept him into our family and bond the two of you myself. Please, go to him." **_Mother said, a hint of reminiscent regret for what might have been in her thoughts.

_"Yes, Mother." _Verexa responded. She then began to approach Thoulux at a somewhat brisk pace as he did the same. They met in the middle of the chamber and embraced one another warmly, their tails intertwined together in an intimate sign of affection. It was the most natural feeling she had ever felt, as if they had done so hundreds of times.

…

Their loving embrace hadn't lasted nearly long enough when Verexa was unwillingly torn from her dream by a rather disturbing noise. She found herself lying in the same spot in the alcove that she had fallen asleep in. The next thing that she noticed was that the comfort of Thoulux's tail beneath hers was disappointingly gone, so she immediately began searching for where he had gone off to. She was relieved at first to see him approaching her, but then she saw the concern and urgency in his posture as well as smelling it in his scent.

_"What was that?" _she asked sleepily.

_"Verexa, we are not alone in this place!" _the warrior replied as he reached her prone form.

At once, she rose to her feet and prepared herself for a fight. Thoulux was certainly right: she could sense the presence of some kind of creature just outside the cave. Strangely, she could hear and almost _feel_ the creature's heartbeat as well. The heartbeat was vaguely human, but it was ridiculously heavy, uneven, and strained sounding.

The two xenomorphs were now side by side and had their claws, teeth, and tails ready to defend themselves and each other. They weren't made to wait long, as the creature pulled its grotesque form into the alcove. Verexa could clearly see that it was indeed humanoid, but something was very wrong with this human. It was covered in little clothing, and its flesh was black and pestilent in appearance. It was definitely more burly than a normal human, and its hands looked like the flesh had been pulled back from them, exposing absolutely brutal jagged, mutated bones. Its limbs and head twitched and spasmed uncontrollably, and its eyes had a faint orange glow to them. Whatever the monster was, it was certainly no longer human.

After entering the alcove and emitting a gurgling screech, the thing rushed toward the two xenomorphs with astonishing speed. Verexa was the first to react by jabbing her tail in its direction, hoping that the creature's momentum would cause it to impale itself upon the bladed tip. She was shocked when it suddenly darted to the side to avoid her attack and continued running toward her. She had just adjusted her stance to prepare for an up close fight when, suddenly, Thoulux rammed into it from the side. His right arm was held horizontally in front of his chest and his ridged carapace was ducked down to be bared as a battering ram. The warrior impacted the humanoid creature and bludgeoned it with the back of his forearm with enough force to knock it to ground on its side. However, he didn't anticipate for the the creature's quick recovery. It immediately got back to its feet, slid behind the warrior, and climbed onto Thoulux's back, stepping on the lower reverse-knees of his legs and grabbing his shoulders before he could stop it. The creature reached the jagged bones of one of its hand around Thoulux's neck, as he struggled to throw it from himself, and prepared to sever his throat.

Fortunately, Verexa quickly grabbed the creature by the mid section, digging her sharp claws deep into its gut and pulling it off of her friend with no small amount of fury. It writhed violently and freed itself from her grasp. She hissed aggressively as she made another grab for it. The creature once again reacted with lightning reflexes, grabbing her arm by the wrist, pulling her toward it, and proceeding to bite into her forearm near the elbow. It didn't even seem bothered at all by the fact that her acidic blood was rapidly burning its jaws and much of its face away.

By now, Thoulux had turned around just it time to see the thing bite into Verexa's arm. With one clean sweep of his tail, he brought its razor sharp edge right into the creature's leg mid-thigh, cleaving all the way through and severing its limb. It lost its hold on Verexa and toppled to the ground face down. Thoulux stomped his foot firmly on the thing's lower back, as it was trying to crawl away. He lifted his tail over the wounded monster and brought it down decisively into the middle of its torso from behind. _"Die, curse-ed animal!" _his thoughts screamed as he roared in victory and blood lust. The thing's heart had been pierced and was no longer beating, but he continued to impale it again and again in rapid succession for perhaps another dozen times until Verexa finally placed the hand of her uninjured arm gently on his shoulder.

He was breathing heavily and adrenaline surged through his veins, but he stopped immediately at her touch. Thoulux turned to face her and was a bit surprised when she suddenly wrapped her arms under his own and around his chest. He was unsure of what to do at first, but he soon returned her embrace and stroked her back as well.

Verexa's mind wondered back to her dream. She pondered whether her conversation with Mother had just been an elaborate way for her heart to tell her brain what she really wanted, or if perhaps it was possible that her queen had somehow imprinted her mind onto her own to some capacity. She wasn't likely to find her answer at this point, or ever for that matter, so she simply focused on Thoulux. Still holding him tightly in her arms, she nestled her head underneath his chin and against his chest, listening intently to his calming heartbeat.

Thoulux was glad to hold his friend close like this, though deep down inside, he was beginning to see her as possibly more than just a friend. They held each other for several moments, calming each other after their conflict with the humanoid monster. Suddenly, the rational side of Thoulux made itself known as he recalled Verexa's injury. With some reluctance, he let go of her in order to inspect her arm. She held onto him for a brief moment longer before finally giving him a tight squeeze and then dropping her arms. He caught her injured arm and gingerly lifted it to see. Relief flooded over him as he found that the bleeding had stopped and the wound was in fact already healing quickly.

_"See? No need for concern." _she said soothingly, as she took his hand between both of hers for a moment before letting it go. She looked to his face and said, _"Thank you for taking to my defense." _

_ "Of course," _he replied reassuringly, _"but I'm afraid that we are no longer safe here. I suppose we should now head toward The Citadel."_

_ "Yes, I'm not sure what that thing is, or where it came from, but I doubt that it's the only of its kind nearby," _she said, regarding the mutilated creature whose thick, dark grey blood still stained her claws and dripped from Thoulux's tail.

Before they left, Thoulux grabbed the container of water, which fortunately hadn't been knocked over during the fight. Its contents sloshed at the bottom. _"There is very little left. You should drink the rest, but we'll need to make finding more water an immediate priority," _he said, holding the container toward her for her to take.

_"I agree, but we'll share the remaining water," _she said.

Thoulux was about to insist that she have it all, but she took the container, drank roughly half of what remained in it, and gave it back to him. Reluctantly, he drank the rest and left the empty container in the alcove as they prepared to leave.

The pair of xenomorphs exited the alcove together. The moon still hung in the sky, but Thoulux knew that it wouldn't be long until the sun took its place. Verexa nudged her shoulder against his to get his attention.

_"You're sure that you know how to get to The Citadel from here?" _she inquired.

_"I believe so, yes."_

With that, they once again began traveling across the desert together with Thoulux leading the way. Verexa kept her senses sharp and alert, in case more of those creatures were around, but her mind often went back to her dream as well as the moments that she had spent holding Thoulux after they had killed the monster that attacked them. It was obvious now that she was falling for this warrior from a different mother than her, but that was odd in and of itself; under normal circumstances, they would probably be enemies in a war between two hives that were too close together for comfort. But as things were in reality, what did it matter? With Verexa's queen and siblings long dead, and Thoulux not even having a queen or siblings that he knew of, all they had was each other. This brought a warm feeling to her heart, and she couldn't help but steal a glance at her companion as they continued onward.

_"I'm very fortunate to have you with me. This world is hardly forgiving, and even less forgiving to those who are alone," _She said, her thoughts accompanied by a strong feeling of sincerity.

_"I'm the one who was fortunate enough to find you. You have survived for years on your own self sufficiency. I do not know what I would have done or where I would have gone if it weren't for you." _he responded. There was great kindness in his words, which didn't go unnoticed by Verexa

…

A few hours passed, and there was a bruise of light on the horizon as the sun was about to make its appearance. The two xenomorphs came across an old, broken road, which continued for as far as they could see in the same direction that they were traveling toward The Citadel. _"The humans used to use these paths to travel between their hives." _Verexa explained. As if to confirm her statement, they felt the subtle vibrations in the ground as a small convoy of five large vehicles rumbled along en route to The Citadel about a kilometer behind the pair of xenomorphs who quickly took cover behind some rubble to stay out of sight. The vehicles soon passed, but not before Thoulux identified the Phoenix insignia printed on the side of each truck as they went by. He was now sure that they were indeed headed for The Citadel.

After the humans had passed, he noticed a dark figure rush down a hillside on the opposite side of the road. Its two legs, though shoddy in appearance, carried it with remarkable speed as it chased after the Phoenix vehicles. Thoulux hissed in frustration. _"There. Do you see it? Our suspicions were sound: the one we killed was not alone," _he said to Verexa, pointing and tracking the thing with a talon for her to see. Looking at the heavy vehicles in the distance and the mutant figure trailing after them, Thoulux was once again reminded that the only thing on his side was Verexa. He turned to her and noticed that she was already looking at him intently.

_"Thoulux, this is the world we live in. A lot can go wrong, and all we can rely on is each other. There is only us and them; you and I against everything else." _she stated in a serious and matter-of-fact tone.

_"I will do everything in my power to safeguard you, and I have the utmost trust in you as my ally. The Citadel isn't much farther ahead, and our enemies will already be there by the time we arrive. But we cannot leave our kind behind to be trapped in that place forever. We must hurry," _he said, but made sure to wrap Verexa in his arms before they moved on, and she was quick to return the gesture.

They finally separated and then continued side by side, ready to face the horrors that awaited them.

**Author's Note:**** Keep in mind that Thoulux isn't aware that The Citadel was placed into lock down with a critical nuclear reactor before he escaped. We're approaching something of a climax, although I don't want to call it ****_the _climax because I don't really have an end planned for this story, but I'm pretty sure that it won't come anytime soon (or at least not soon enough for the next chapter to be the story's final climax). Anyways, there will be a lot of explanations in the next chapter as well as quite a lot of action. Again, thank you so much for reading (I'm up to 500+ views!), and please comment with what you think about it so far. I have most of the next chapter planned out as well as part of the one after that, but if you would like to give me some suggestions and ideas for the long term, I would love to read them!**

_**...Steel your nerves, brothers. We are NOT turning back.**_

**I do not own anything in this story except the plot and characters.**


	6. Chapter 6- Citadel of Demons

**Author's Note:****There will be a lot of violence and gore in this chapter, as well as some very mild language. I don't consider it worthy of bumping the rating up to M, but I just wanted to give my readers a heads up on that in case that sort of thing bothers you. It will be very graphic, and if you wish to skip the more violent parts, by all means, do so. However, keep in mind that you may miss important parts of the story.**

**Now, without further disclaimer:**

******Alien: Post-Apocalypse**

Chapter 6: Citadel of Demons

Another bump in the old, broken highway jostled the occupants of the second of the five armored personnel carriers in the convoy. Lieutenant Harver tightened his grip on one of the overhead hand holds as he continued silently looking over the driver's shoulder. He wore a standard combat rig with the exception of the pure white beret, which Phoenix issued to all of its officers, instead of a helmet, a pair of polarized Heads-Up-Display glasses, and carried no weapons other than his sidearm. Behind him were a pair of inward facing rows of seats upon which sat ten of the two dozen soldiers of his platoon.

"So, whaddaya think of this outfit's LT?" asked Private First Class Cobbs to his friend sitting across from him. He and PFC Hollis were ex-Alliance Army regulars who joined Phoenix's "Project Defense Sect" after the nukes were done falling, but the PDS was much more like an over sized private army than just a security detail for the organization. Regardless, gossiping about the officers still remained a favorite pass time for the grunts, the platoon sergeant was in a different APC, and the lieutenant was out of earshot.

Hollis replied, "Well, I haven't heard him talk once, aside from giving orders, which is crap since this platoon barely has two full sized squads worth of men in it. But I ain't about to mess with him 'cause I've heard he's not too reluctant to use that big hand cannon of a pistol he's got."

Indeed, the magnum handgun holstered on his hip looked like it could do some damage and probably break its user's wrist as well. "I'm with you on that one," Cobbs agreed. "Think he might be an android?"

"Doubt it."

"Why?"

"'Cause he's breathing."

"Ah, right... come to think of it, I haven't seen any 'droids since the war." Cobbs observed.

"They're probably banding together to form some sorta robot cult to over throw the rest of the humans on Earth," Hollis replied, his words dripping with sarcasm and feigned concern. "Or they aren't as EMP proof as they're supposed to be," he continued a bit more seriously.

…

**"Echo First Platoon actual, this is Captain Carlson. How copy?" **Lt. Harver's earpiece sounded with just a twinge of static.

"Reading you five by five, sir," He responded flatly.

**"Good. ETA to The Citadel is less than ten minutes, so get your platoon ready to deploy," **came the company commander's reply.

"Roger that, sir. What exactly are the mission specifications?" Harver asked, tactfully holding his frustration at the fact that he hadn't been properly briefed until quite literally the last minute.

**"There was some sort of an emergency in the facility, and its contingency containment protocol went active. The code to deactivate the containment protocol is only known by the facilities first three in charge and can only be used from the outside. They didn't have anyone on the outside to open the door for them at the time the contingency was activated, so they must have been pretty desperate. Also, we haven't heard anything from The Citadel since it happened, so we'll probably get some use out of that cutting equipment we brought. Once we cut an entrance for ourselves, I'm sending your platoon in first to secure the facility and Second Platoon will be held in reserve. Understood?"**

"Perfectly, sir," said the lieutenant as he heard the electronic sound of the transmission being ended. He turned around to face his men and said, "Gear up and ready weapons. We'll arrive at The Citadel shortly, burn an entrance through the blast door, and then we're the first ones in to sweep and clear." The lack of enthusiasm in his voice was annoying to the troops, but at least the small bit of information he had given them was straight forward and somewhat useful to them. He relayed the order to his platoon sergeant to ready the other half of Echo First in the APC in front of them.

Harver didn't like the sound of "an emergency" and "no contact from the inside," but orders were orders. Throughout his relatively short career as an officer, he'd been taught that hope is not a course of action, so he resisted the urge to hope for a clean mission and began searching for active ways to make that happen; ways that he couldn't come up with before the APC came to a halt before The Citadel's sealed entrance.

…

_"Here. This is where I made my escape," _Thoulux said as they approached the small exterior vent, which still had its metal grate broken off. He placed his hands over the rim of the vent, and he noticed that the air pouring out of it was off smelling, stale, and rancid. It also felt... hot; not quite the same as usual heat from high temperatures, but vaguely similar. The air was certainly different from when he was kept in The Citadel.

_"The humans have halted their vehicles just on the other side of that ridge," _Verexa informed him, interrupting his observations. _"They will seek to access the main entrance. We should hurry." _She went to enter the vent ahead of Thoulux, but he placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

_"Something isn't as it should be," _he warned.

_"Is it dangerous to go in?"_

_"No... not as far as I can tell, but something has gone awry since I was last here."_

She took his hand gently by the wrist and removed it from her shoulder, very deliberately sliding her palm across his own as she let it go. _"We have to do this, but we will take extreme caution in doing so," _she reassured.

With some reluctance, Thoulux mentally agreed with her and then turned to lead the way into the vents.

…

Lieutenant Harver saw Captain Carlson walking across the floodlight bathed sand toward him. He stood at attention and saluted the captain, who casually returned the salute and proceeded to update him on the situation. "Our cutting crew is making slow but sure progress on that blast door; the thing's almost half a meter thick and made of solid steal. We're already getting radiation warnings from inside the facility, but we doubt it's too bad, otherwise there wouldn't be anybody left in there to save." Harver couldn't help but realize that they didn't have anything indicating there _was _anybody left on the inside to save, but he let the captain continue. "Regardless, we brought lead vests, and I strongly suggest you outfit your platoon with them. They're not as good as full radiation suits, but it's better than nothing. That said, don't piss around in there for too long. Get in, round up the civies and scientists, grab the recording archives so we can find out what went wrong, and get out. Second platoon will relieve you to secure the reactor and then the rest of the facility after your objectives are complete."

"Roger that, sir." Harver replied.

"Outstanding. Once your platoon is in, I want you back out in exactly one hour or less." Carlson finished.

Harver nodded in understanding, gave a quick salute, and then turned to order the lead vests to be distributed to his platoon. Privately, he shook his head at how dicey this mission sounded. He had a bad feeling that there was nothing good behind that blast door, but he was a leader, and the time had come for him to put on his game face and do his job.

…

Thoulux continued crawling through the vents with Verexa close behind him. He smelled nothing unexpected in the foul air except the foulness of the air itself and the lack of any sign of the human researchers that used to inhabit The Citadel. They went further down into the facility, and Thoulux began to notice a faint presence in his mind, but it clearly did not belong to Verexa. _Perhaps I'm imagining it, _he thought, _it's strange to be back here. We must leave as soon as possible._

They eventually came to the cell block that contained Thoulux's old holding cell. Upon dropping down from the vents, he noticed the entire facility was still lit by the dim, red emergency lights, which would give it a very macabre appearance if he saw it as a human would. His cell was exactly as he left it with the door parted for him to squeeze through, and all the other cell doors were still shut save for the one directly across from his. It had large hole burned through the center, and its occupant was nowhere to be found inside. Behind him, Verexa poked her head into Thoulux's cell.

_"This is where the humans kept you all your life?" _she asked.

_"Yes. Most of it, anyways," _he answered flatly, turning toward her.

Thoulux sensed her feelings of disgust and anger toward the humans at this. Her back was still to him, so he took a couple steps forward and placed his hand on her shoulders, hoping to calm her. He was relieved to find that it worked to some degree. She backed out of the holding cell and toward him. Suddenly, a metallic clang was heard some distance away down the corridor to their right. They both faced the direction of the noise. Thoulux could feel the strange presence in his mind becoming more clear, almost like a ringing in his brain. He was now convinced that his mind was not playing tricks on itself.

Verexa faced him and said, _"We're obviously not alone here, and it looks like someone or something besides you escaped." _She turned her head to indicate the cell door with the hole burnt into it.

_"What about the other cells?" _Thoulux asked just as she started toward the general direction of the noise.

_"They're either empty, containing something that isn't a xenomorph, or your siblings within them are dead. If any of your brothers or sisters are in these cells, you should be more than close enough to communicate with them." _she answered.

Thoulux accepted her reasoning, and followed her down the corridor. The extent of his familiarity with The Citadel ended at the cell block, so it no longer mattered who took the lead. They ran through the corridor for a short while, passing several intersections, doors, and stairs along the way. They couldn't locate what had made the noise, but they skidded to a halt after simultaneously becoming aware the heavy beating of a strained heart quickly followed by a savage growl. It was unclear from which direction the sounds came. Thoulux hissed and put his back against Verexa's – as best as a pair of xenomorphs can – and they prepared to defend against the nearby monstrosity.

_"They are here, and I think we've found their origin." _he said darkly

…

Cobbs was on point as the cutting team had finally gouged a hole in the main blast door of sufficient size to allow the platoon to enter two at a time. Readying his rifle, he flicked on the barrel mounted flashlight as the first thing he noticed was that the power was out and the facility only had dim emergency lighting. The second thing he noticed as he entered was that he could already feel a warm tingle and a barely noticeable copper taste in his mouth, which seemed to confirm his suspicions about radiation. _Why else would the LT have us put on lead jackets? _he thought to himself as he shifted under the uncomfortable weight of the vest under his already heavy combat gear and body armor. _Only real question is why not just tell us about the radiation? I would think that the more we know about what's in here, the better._

The entrance to The Citadel consisted of a large platform to allow potential passengers to board an electric tram, which sat on a track in a tunnel that was about a kilometer in length leading down at 25 degree incline. Of course, Without primary power to the station, the tram was simply an obstacle, but the soldiers manage to pry open the doors as well as those on the opposite side of the tram so as to continue down the track on foot.

"Remember, we're just here to grab the civilians, find the recordings, and leave to let Second Platoon do the rest, so don't get trigger happy. Private Greene, start a chemical scan," called out Lieutenant Harver.

_Chemical scan? If there's anything down here, we've already been exposed to it. Does this guy have a clue as to what he's doing? _Cobbs thought incredulously, but still kept it to himself.

"On it, sir. It'll take it a few minutes, though," responded Greene as he pulled out a small, hand held device. The group continued down the tram track. The red lighting was eerie, so Cobbs was thankful for the bright light coming from each of the twenty or so flashlights of the men behind him.

A few minutes passed, and the disturbing silence of The Citadel was only broken by the sound of boots on concrete until Hollis blurted out from somewhere near the back of the group, "Sir, if there's nothing down here but researchers who are too stupid to open a door, why did we come fully armed?"

Sergeant First Class Royce answered for the Lieutenant, "Too make you feel better, Hollis, but do NOT get trigger happy."

The private wasn't satisfied with the gruff NCO's response. " Then why'd we bring a full company, Sarge'?" he smarted off the his platoon sergeant. He said "full company" sarcastically because, in fact, Echo company was barely bigger than a full sized platoon would be in any normal military.

"'Cause we knew you couldn't do it all by yourself. Now, shut your mouth and keep walking." replied Royce. Hollis, who walked a short distance behind Sergeant Royce, raised his middle finger and thumb, then pointed at Royce with the tip of his index finger, and finally raised his index and middle finger in the gesture of "two" or "too" in this case. Nevertheless, he did as he was told.

Another few minutes passed before the platoon finally came to the bottom of the tram shaft. They found themselves in a room with steel walls and heavy doors to match. It seemed to be an intersection between the tramway and the rather vaguely labeled "Block A" and "Block B."

"Sergeant Royce, take First and Third squads to Block A. I'll be taking Second and Fourth to Block B. Secure as many civilians as you find, and report to me if you find the operations center. Also report anything unusual, including dead Phoenix personnel and signs of conflict." Lt. Harver ordered out loud for everyone to hear. Noting the display inside his tinted glasses, which indicated 46 minutes before they were due back on the surface, he finished with, "Rendezvous here in exactly half an hour from now, and don't bother sweeping the reactor chamber; that's the one area that we are to leave solely to Second Platoon."

"Roger that, Sir," Royce replied to his platoon leader. Then, regarding his two assigned squads, "You heard him, ladies and gentlemen. Now let's get to work!"

Before the two teams split up, Private Greene's scan finished, and he relayed the results, "Sir, the chemical scan is reading a cocktail of substances that, quite frankly, it doesn't recognize. It's probably from a chemical spill somewhere in the facility. Also, the radiation levels are lethal in a matter of a few hours."

The man talked like a book, but Harver actually had some appreciation for that. "No matter. We've still got a job to do. There may be researchers who found a way to avoid the radiation, and regardless of that, we have to find out exactly what happened here." replied the lieutenant, ignoring the fact that the airborne chemicals were probably more lethal than the radiation. "We're not leaving until both of those objectives are complete. Move out."

…

Than anticipation began to eat at Thoulux's nerves. Silently, he and his sentry companion stood ready to fight off the creature that was lurking nearby. Indeed, its heavy heartbeat betrayed its nearing presence, but not its exact location. The warrior caught a slight movement behind the threshold to the passageway on his left. _"I've found it! It's just to my left behind the entrance; be careful," _he said telepathically to Verexa. She turned around and stepped diagonally to stand at his side. _"I will confront it. Be ready to assist me," _he said, and Verexa sent her acknowledgment.

Carefully and quietly, he approached the opened doorway on all fours with Verexa a couple paces behind him. He was now right outside the threshold, and he could practically feel the thing's heart pounding in a slow, strained fashion; it was definitely just on the other side. He slowly crawled up the wall next to the door and proceeded to go through the entrance upside down. He saw the creature below him, and it snapped its grotesque face up in his direction, letting out an equally grotesque growl in surprise. Thoulux hissed with aggression and jabbed his tail toward it. The bladed tip struck the monster and impaled it through the base of its right shoulder, rendering the limb useless. The creature seemed unfazed by this. It grabbed the warrior's tail with its mutilated left hand and pulled the surprised xenomorph off of the ceiling just as he had begun to pull his tail back.

He landed in a heap, but before the creature could seize its opportunity, Verexa wrapped her hands around its deformed skull and pulled it backward, down, and then threw it to the metal ground on its back. She planted a foot firmly on its chest, lest it try to get back up. She reached down and grabbed its damaged arm by what used to be a wrist, pulling it up and twisting it in a way that would be absolutely excruciating to any being that could feel pain. The sentry staggered backward when the limb suddenly came loose at the shoulder with a sickening pop and snap dripping with disgustingly thick gray blood. The thing immediately got to its feet, totally ignoring the loss of its arm. It went to attack her, but she still held its dismembered arm by the wrist and didn't hesitate to use it as a club. With all of her strength, she swung at it and delivered a well placed and powerful blow to the side of its head, flooring it once again. As it fell on its side, dazed, she viciously began beating it to death with its own arm. The thing's skull eventually caved in, its loud heartbeat ceased to sound, and Verexa tossed the broken arm aggressively aside in a random direction.

This all happened in a matter of seconds, and Thoulux had just gotten to his feet in time to watch the incredible display of violence. He couldn't help the equivalent of a smile gracing his face as he admired her prowess in combat. _"Horrible demons! That was an excellent kill. We fight well together, you and I," _he said sincerely while approaching her.

_"Thank you, and I agree. We should continue onward. No need to remain here any longer than necessary." _she replied kindly. She still breathed heavily from the brief fight, but her mental voice stayed calm and collected. Her feelings clearly showed that she was proud of herself for protecting Thoulux, and even more so at the fact that he was appreciative of her doing so.

They went through the entrance that the creature had hidden behind and followed the long corridor together, seeking signs of their kind. Thoulux could now definitely feel his mind being intruded upon, but he couldn't manage to communicate with this strange other being. It was beginning to make his head hurt, but just as he began to ask Verexa if perhaps she felt it as well, his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of nearby gunfire._"No doubt the humans that came here as we did. We should avoid contact with them wherever possible, unless they are engaged with one of our kind." _Thoulux said. Verexa agreed, and they continued on.

…

SFC Royce lead his men through dim passageways and eerie rooms. He couldn't help but notice that the place was disturbingly empty, despite the fact that its size suggested it should be buzzing with activity and full of people. They hadn't seen a single civilian so far, but every now and then their motion trackers would pick up an unidentified signal, which would dash out of range at an alarming rate in just disappear all together in the middle of the screen. The troops were getting antsy, and frankly, so was he, though he didn't let it show.

They approached yet another intersection with all of its doors open. Royce cautiously approached the one directly in front of them and found a small room that appeared to be a lab area. He took a look inside and found the place was a mess. Broken equipment was scattered around and there was a large semi-clear puddle of liquid in the middle of the room. He could just barely see a thin vapor rising from the puddle toward a ventilation fan in the beam of his flashlight. He turned around and bumped into the men behind him. "Back up! Stay away from whatever that stuff is," he said. He activated his comms to report their findings to the lieutenant. "Sir, we found a chemical spill in a torn up lab. No bodies, but there was definitely a fight or something in here," he said.

**"Anything else?" **inquired Harver after a brief pause.

"Still no sign of the civilians, but we keep getting ghost readings on the motion trackers." replied the sergeant.

**"Copy that, we've got the same thing here. Stay frosty, and keep searching. Echo First actual out," **said the platoon leader.

Sergeant Royce gripped his rifle a bit tighter and led the way down a short hallway on the right of the intersection. He and the dozen soldiers following him found themselves in the entrance to a large cafeteria of sorts. Upon entering, he cursed out loud and so did several other soldiers. There were dead bodies everywhere, scattered all around in awful poses on the floor and on the tables. The bodies appeared slightly burnt and their flesh was black and rotten in appearance. They looked much further than a couple days along the path of decaying. Royce rested his gun against his shoulder and started to report. "Actual, this is Sergeant Royce. We found several dead researchers; gotta be at least a few dozen of 'em. Looks like they succumbed to the radiation. Please advise." he said.

Before Harver could reply on the radio, one of the privates shouted out, "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Hey, that one just moved!" The barrel of his rifle was pointing shakily at the deceased civilian.

Royce was about to shout at the jumpy rookie when the lieutenant finally responded. **"Keep looking for the operations center; we still need that recording." **he said, seemingly uninterested at the report of the dead researchers. The sergeant was about to respond, but the comm link was already gone.

"Boy calm yourself down. We're not done yet, and you getting all wired up isn't helping the mission. Now the less time we spend down here, the less likely I am to grow a mutated arm out of my stomach from all this radiation, so let's-" said SFC Royce to the startled private before he was interrupted by Corporal Harling on the other side of the room.

"He's right, Sarge. I saw this one's arm twitch. I just saw it, I swear." Harling said, not quite as nervously as the private had, but still edgy. Sure enough, when Royce looked in that direction, he saw the corpse's right arm spasm over the side of the table it laid upon on its own. His heart rate began to quicken. It felt like it was beating out of his chest, but then he realized his own heart wasn't the only one he could hear. He became aware of one, two, then several strained heartbeats filling the rooms. His eyes went wide with terror as it seemed like all the bodies were now twitching a shaking. He aimed down the sight of his automatic rifle, but motion to his left caught his attention. He glanced over just in time to see something straight out of a horror film. A mutilated corpse reanimated itself behind the man to his left, reached its arms over the man's shoulders, dug its bony claws into his neck, and ripped his throat open, killing him almost instantly as it let out a blood curdling roar.

No sooner had the soldier's body fallen than Royce had whipped his weapon around and fired several bursts into it, ripping its chest and head apart. It slumped over, dead... hopefully. "Weapons free! Light 'em up; remember: short controlled bursts!" the sergeant ordered , but the sound of automatic weapon fire was already filling the room. The used-to-be-civilian creatures were all rising to their feet and attacking the Phoenix soldiers with extreme prejudice.

"Forget that noise! Empty your magazines, boys! We're in a fight for our lives!" someone said. Royce cursed, as he saw two monsters rise up in the back corner and approach one of his troops from behind. He pulled the trigger on his under-barrel grenade launcher and blew the creatures apart in a cloud of broken limbs and sickly dark gray blood before they could make it to the unaware soldier. Whatever these things were, they were not human. Royce glanced around and noticed that not all of his men were still there. A metallic click was heard, indicative of the bolt of a rifle locking back due to running out of ammo. He saw the man who the empty weapon belonged to – probably the same one who had suggested they throw caution to the wind with their ammunition – hit the magazine release , grab a full mag from its pouch, and slam it home. Just before he could cycle the bolt on the weapon, one of the monsters delivered a punch to his gut with what appeared to be balled fist with broken, jagged bones protruding from the flesh. It pulled back as the man doubled over with blood running from his punctured stomach. It backhanded him across the face, breaking his jaw and possibly his neck as well as his head whipped sideways.

"Fall back! Get the hell outta here, back to the intersection! Cover each other's retreat ten meters at a time!" Sergeant Royce ordered as he began backpedaling toward the doorway, letting out well aimed bursts as he went. He stopped just on the other side of the entrance, reloaded his rifle, and covered his troops as the filed out of the cafeteria. He only counted six men before the creatures got too close for comfort to his position at the door. Turning and running toward the intersection, he found his men already there, three squatting in front with three standing behind them and all aiming at the monsters that sprinted madly after him. With precise bursts and organized reloads, they kept the monsters at bay for a while, but they just kept coming.

"We've gotta move! Follow me," Royce said, slamming a fresh magazine in the receiver. He activated his comms. "Lieutenant Harver, we've got contact! Repeat, we've been engaged by what appears to be mutated civilians. We've taken casualties, and are proceeding further into the facility while being pursued." They ran through the only door in the intersection they hadn't been in yet with the horrible humanoid creatures right on their heels.

…

_"There's something... or someone in my mind," _Thoulux finally told Verexa. Its presence was growing steadily, and he could feel its malevolence.

She stopped and looked at her friend confusedly. _"Is it one of your kin? Are they speaking to you?" _she asked curiously.

_"It may be, but, no, it is saying nothing. I can tell, however, that it is not friendly," _he replied darkly.

Verexa mentally frowned at this. She had assumed there would be a warm greeting between Thoulux and his siblings, if they found any of them. This revelation was troubling, but it did at least give evidence that there were other xenomorphs here. Part of her wanted to leave; badly. Between the monsters, the Phoenix soldiers, and this strange being that Thoulux felt, The Citadel was becoming more dangerous by the moment to her and her companion. They had already killed one creature, and Verexa couldn't help but feel worried about what might happen to her if Thoulux was injured or killed here. She wasn't sure she could go on being alone in this hostile world, especially with what she felt growing between the two of them.

The warrior placed his hand around her back, and she realized that he had probably perceived her thoughts and concerns. To his credit, he didn't say so, but comforted her all the same. Feeling much more reassured, she concluded that they had come here for a reason, and there was little sense in leaving until they had fulfilled their goal.

They heard the report of automatic weapons as well as the steady and much louder crack of a larger caliber weapon in a nearby chamber. Frantic footsteps could be heard approaching the room that the pair of xenomorphs currently occupied. They quickly took to the shadows in the corners of the ceiling. Four humans entered the room hurriedly. Thoulux watched them carefully from his vantage point. Three of them looked the same, but the other wore a soft, white cover over his head and carried a large one handed weapon as opposed to the rifles that the others had.

"Oh God! Oh God, we're all that's left!" said one of the humans in a distraught voice.

"I think we got all the ones following us," said another.

The last of the similarly equipped humans then spoke, "Hold up. I got two signatures from this room on the motion tracker before we got here, and now they're gone." He held a device in one hand that emitted a pulse, which was very irritating to Thoulux's fine tuned senses. What worried him, though, was what the soldiers had said. He understood their speech from what he had learned while being kept here as a test subject, and he knew they were aware of his and Verexa's presence in the room.

_"They know we're here." _Thoulux warned his friend. She wasn't sure how he knew this, but took his word for it and tensed in anticipation for a fight.

The human with the pulsing device happened to glance up and then did a double take and shined his light directly on Verexa. "Ceiling!" he shouted. Before he could drop the device and ready his weapon, Thoulux leaped straight down on him, pinned him to the floor, and killed him immediately by sending his inner jaw through the man's skull and into his brain. The soldier's comrades were shocked as they turned around to see what had caused the commotion as they were still dumbly looking at the ceiling. Before they knew what was going on, Verexa pounced on the nearest one to her friend, killing him in a similar way. This gave them both enough time to dodge away.

…

"What the hell are _these _things?!" cried PFC Cobbs as he sprayed the room with automatic fire and hit absolutely nothing of value. These new creatures were far different then the humanoid monsters that had torn his group apart just a few minutes ago, and they could climb walls and ceilings for God's sake! They evaded out of sight before he could actually get an aimed shot in. His rifle clicked, empty. In his fear stricken stupor, he tossed the weapon aside instead of simply reloading it. He looked at the other two grunts left in his group, who were now dead with holes in their skulls, and he then sprinted away as fast as he could, leaving Lieutenant Harver by himself and not even caring. The LT was the one who got them all into this mess and got the rest of them killed anyways. So Cobbs ran and didn't look back. _Where's Hollis? _he thought to himself as he ran in search of his friend from Sergeant Royce's group.

…

"Get back here, soldier! That's an order!" barked Harver, after firing several magnum rounds at the things that just picked off two more of his men. It was clear, however, that Cobbs had lost it and was not coming back.

No sooner had Sergeant Royce called "contact" over the the comm than his team were also attacked by the mutated civilians, which seemed to come from nowhere. They fought for their lives, but most were slaughtered in the close quarters, leaving only three troops plus Harver himself to escape.

Now, two of them had been killed by these new creatures, the other had deserted in the middle of the fight, and the lieutenant was now alone with two killing machines prowling somewhere nearby. His hands shook slightly in nervousness as he gripped his pistol tighter. Checking the display in his glasses, he saw that they had seventeen minutes before they were late getting back to the surface, and he didn't even know the way back from where he now was. He heard a small noise behind him. He spun around and saw the two alien creatures rushing toward him several meters away, one a few steps behind the other. He squeezed the trigger, felt the heavy recoil of the massive slug leaving the barrel, and missed. He cursed at his poor shot and the fact that the pistol's slide locked back, ready to be reloaded. He somehow managed to avoid panicking, and began to reload the handgun with zen like calmness and efficiency as the aliens closed the gap between him and them. No sooner had the spent magazine left the receiver than he slid a fresh one in, thumbed the slide release to chamber a new round, and just as the empty magazine clanged against the floor, he squeezed the trigger one last time.

…

Verexa sprinted forward with her warrior companion right on her heels. The human with the soft, white cover seemed to be disassembling his weapon even as the two xenomorphs charged toward him. She took it as a lucky break, and continued onward until the human finished whatever he was doing with his weapon and fired once more before she got to him. The sentry expertly sidestepped to the left with amazing reflexes, and she actually felt the metal projectile whiz past her mere centimeters to her right. Before he could fire again, Verexa grabbed the human by the neck in her right hand, lifted him off the floor, and tore his weapon away from him with her free hand, tossing it aside. The man kicked at thin air and wrapped his hands around her wrist as he struggled futilely to escape her grasp. She couldn't see the fear in his eye due to the dark thing covering them, but the human's scent reeked of it.

She curled her lips upward, baring her teeth in an almost wicked smile. Salivating in anticipation of the kill, she slowly and deliberately brought her tail around until its tip rested against the top of his abdomen. She hissed with sheer anticipation

"No! No no no no! Not like this, please!" screamed the human. Verexa didn't understand his words but the meaning was clear. However, she was in no mood to entertain his pleas for mercy. He had threatened her safety and that of her only friend who was potentially so much more, and for that he was going to die.

She applied pressure with her tail until it pierced his soft flesh. The human screamed in agony and continued to beg, but Verexa continued to ignore him. She guided the tip of her tail deeper up inside of his rib cage from beneath. _"You're _**so** _weak!" _she thought out loud as if the human could hear her thoughts while she let out a stuttered hiss in triumph. His cries became weaker and weaker until she twister her tail sharply and they stopped altogether. She slid her blood drenched tail tip out of him and let his body fall in a heap.

Verexa was just beginning to wonder if Thoulux was still behind her, for she had been totally engaged in her own blood lust that she hadn't paid any attention to the peripherals of her senses. Suddenly, a dull thud behind her answered her question. She turned around sharply to find that Thoulux had fallen to his knees with his right hand resting over the left side of his chest and his head angled straight down for a better view. He slowly moved his hand away from his chest and found his palm covered in his own thick yellowish-green blood. He slowly looked up at Verexa.

_"My heart?" _he asked with sadness and just the smallest hint of fear in his otherwise strong and deep mental voice. She rushed to him at once and took a knee in front of him. She saw the bullet wound was just below the collar bone and had stricken perhaps the topmost rib on his left side and exited through his back just next to the base of his upper-left dorsal tube. The wound dripped acidic blood, which burned into the floor, but the flow was slow enough to give Verexa some hope. She gently placed her hand over his chest just below his wound. She was elated to find that she could feel his strong, steady heart beating within.

_"No, my love. We're fortunate. It does not seem to have caused any serious damage," _she said, not caring that she had tipped her hand in the way that she had addressed him. He could probably read her emotions fairly clearly anyways, which would have betrayed her just as much. She was happy that he didn't seem bothered at all by her suggested change in their relationship as he wrapped his arms around her. Verexa reciprocated his embrace, albeit with great care; he still had a hole in him, after all. _"Come. I think it's far past time to leave. I believe this place is a lost cause, and if your siblings are in fact here, they aren't very interested in welcoming you back." _she said sadly, rising to her feet and helping Thoulux do so as well.

The warrior was steady on his feet and capable of keeping up with Verexa, though he had to consciously block out the pain in his chest that came with every deep breath. They backtracked the way they came and would hear the heavy heartbeats of the demons every now and then, which they were fortunate enough to avoid. However, the presence in his mind had never left, and continued to grow stronger. He could feel it actually beginning to reach into his mind in attempts to manipulate him.

_"Thoulux, one of our kind is very close by; I can sense it," _said Verexa with bitter surprise before she realized that he was now in mental pain as well as physical pain from being shot. They came to a stop in the middle of a long, empty hall with only a door on each end. The sentry glanced toward her companion for only a moment before she noticed a dark figure enter the the corridor on the end that they were headed toward. They both looked at the figure, which was slowly approaching them on two legs, but it definitely wasn't one of the humanoid monstrosities. It was, in fact, a xenomorph, but it looked quite a bit different than either of them. It wasn't as tall or built as Thoulux nor as lithe and agile in appearance as Verexa. Its head was wider and it had what could only be described as wicked looking short, curved spikes on most of its joints and along its forearms. It came to a halt about a dozen meters ahead of them and simply stared back.

_"Who are you?" _Thoulux called out to it telepathically, taking a step in front of Verexa, a protective gesture. However, he didn't seem able to even reach his mind out toward the strange xenomorph in front of him, despite the fact that it was most likely his sibling and should therefore already have an established link between them. It simply stood there with its mouth agape; a small stream of acid dripped from its mouth and burned a hole into the metal floor, but it remained silent.

Suddenly, the presence in Thoulux's mind seemed to solidify, and he could hear a booming voice carried by an absolutely malicious tone in his head. **_"The humans once called it 'Specimen001.' You might call it your sibling. It is, in fact, The Zealot; _****MY ****_Zealot." _**it said powerfully.

Thoulux's brain hurt even more, but he remained focused. _"Then what are you?" _he asked out loud so that Verexa could hear his thoughts just in case she could also hear the malevolent voice.

It replied, **_"I? I am a goddess of the mind. I am the goddess of _****your ****_mind. I am the goddess of you as a whole. I control you. I. Am. You!"_**

**Author's Note:****I know that I ended this chapter kind of abruptly and probably left you with more questions than I answered within the chapter, but trust me on this one. The Citadel's story is far from over, and this little plot twist at the end of this chapter will be explained. In fact, I have a feeling that the entirety of the next chapter will still be set in The Citadel. Anyhow, I had to end this chapter somewhere (it's well over two to three times longer than each of the previous chapters!), and yes, I did see this as a pretty good cliff hanger. Please review, follow, PM me, etc. I really do appreciate it, and that and the increasing number of views that this story gets keep me motivated to write more!**

**I apologize to anyone who was offended by the gore, violence, (mild) language, or any other part of this chapter.**

**I do not own anything in this story except the plot and characters.**


	7. Chapter 7- Regicide

**Author's Note:**** More gore in this chapter, but not nearly as bad as the previous one. Enjoy.**

**Alien: Post-Apocalypse**

Chapter 7: Regicide

"We are _**not **_gonna die down here if I have anything to say about it!" shouted Sergeant First Class Royce after Private Ruben almost had a complete mental breakdown due to the traumatic situation they were still struggling to get out of.

Remarkably, there were still seven men left in the group, including Royce himself. They narrowly escaped they mutated creatures pursuing them with enough margin to manually seal one of the heavy doors to what seemed to be a lounge or rest area. The monstrosities beat against the door and gave furious groans and screams, but they didn't seem to be making any progress getting through the door. The soldiers looked around to find the room in a mess. All the furnishing was toppled or destroyed, the screens on the walls were cracked and broken, and the walls were smeared with gore, which shown black under the red emergency lighting.

On the far side of the room laid one and a half corpses, and the men kept a close eye on them lest they reanimate in the same fashion as the "corpses" in the cafeteria where half of the group had been slaughtered. Royce took a moment to try to contact Lieutenant Harver once again on the comms, but to no avail.

"Sarge', we need to get the hell outta Dodge," said PVT Hollis nervously, his eyes shifting between the platoon sergeant, the corpses, and the two open doors on the other side of the room.

Royce gave a low sigh as he mentally agreed with Hollis; the researchers were obviously all either dead or mutated into those things, and no recording was worth any more lives than it had already cost. "You're right. Our only objectives now are to survive and escape. If our superiors want to charge us for abandoning our mission, I'll take full responsibility. Therefore, I'm ordering all of you to follow me to try to find a way out of this place," Said the sergeant, raising his voice above the pounding on the other side of the sealed door.

The soldiers all shouted their agreement and got ready to continue onward. Royce checked the ammo counter on his weapon and swore under his breath as he noted only half a magazine left for his rifle. He had just taken the first step toward the open door on the left when Hollis shouted out, "Hey! I've got Cobbs on the mic!"

"Give it here," said Royce, taking Hollis's earpiece and replacing his own with it. "Private, this is Sergeant Royce, what's your status?"

The voice that answered was distraught, out of breath, static covered due to poor comms reception. **"Sarge', they're all dead! We got attacked by the civilians... except they're not human anymore! I got separated from the LT; I think he might be dead too."**

Royce swore again, but that did explain why he couldn't contact the platoon leader. "Calm down, son. Where are you right now? Is there anyone else with you?" he asked

**"Negative. They're all either dead or MIA. I... I just passed into Block A, but it's not the same intersection as we came in at. I'm looking for you guys. Where are you, Sergeant?" **Cobbs responded, a bit less frantically but still breathing hard.

"We got lost trying to get away from those things, but we're looking for a way back to the surface, and we'll try to find you along the way. Keep your guard up; there's more of those mutated civies in this block too. Are you armed?"

**"I had to ditch my rifle, so I'm down to my sidearm. Please don't leave without me Sarge'!"**

"We're looking for you, son, so don't worry. Just stay alert and look for landmarks that we might be able to recognize."

**"One more thing, Sarge'. There's something else down here, and it ain't even close to human. They're bigger than the mutated researchers and they have tails too. They like hiding on the ceilings... that's how they got two of our guys."**

Royce wasn't sure if the private was losing it and was imagining that last part, or if there really was a new kind of creature lurking around in The Citadel. "Roger that. Stay safe, and we'll find you ASAP," he said reassuringly and then cut the comm link. Then, to the men with him, he said, "Alright, let's move out!" The soldiers stood, readied their weapons, and followed the platoon sergeant onward.

…

A few minutes passed as Cobbs ran through empty metal hallway after empty metal hallway. Every noise terrified him, and he gripped the compact pistol, which, while laughably low in firepower, would be his only hope if he encountered anything hostile. Suddenly, a noise above his head startled the already paranoid private, and he pointed his weapon straight up. However, he saw only the metal grate that constituted the drop-ceiling and the empty darkness behind it. He shook his head and kept running. Before long, he heard the footsteps of a dozen or so boots not far away from him.

Relief flooded over him as he recognized the voices of the other group of soldiers coming from the same direction as the footsteps. He was just about to yell out to get their attention when he heard another noise above and behind him, much louder this time. He turned around to see a section of metal grate fall to the ground, which was quickly followed by a large, dark figure that dropped to the floor and then stood on two legs. It was one of the creatures that he had encountered before abandoning Lieutenant Harver, but this one was alone and it looked different from the ones he had seen before.

Cobbs panicked and screamed, but before he could raise his service pistol to fire, the creature closed the gap between the two of them, grabbed the soldier by the shoulders, and slammed his back into the metal wall behind him with enough force to knock the wind out of him. Dazed by the sudden impact, he shook his head to clear his vision and looked up into the face of the alien creature, as it stood over him with a clear height advantage. Its mouth opened to reveal two sets of sharp, silver teeth, and Cobbs knew that this was his end. He caught his breath to try to scream in defiance one last time, but his sharp intake of breath was interrupted as a steady stream of acid suddenly flowed from the creatures mouth and onto his face.

…

Royce heard the scream and knew it had to be Cobbs. He sprinted down the corridors in the general direction of the scream with his men right behind him. He rounded another corner and stopped in his tracks. All he could do was watch the scene in front of him in utter shock and horror. A strange, jet black creature had PFC Cobbs pinned against the wall and seemed to be regurgitating acid onto his already melted face. The sergeant simply watched as Cobbs was literally dissolved from the chest up until the creature averted its attention in the direction of the newly arrived soldiers. He suddenly snapped to his senses, raised his rifle, and yelled "Open fire! Open fire!" He squeezed the trigger of his rifle and didn't let go until every round was spent. The remaining six troops around him did likewise, but the creature was long gone, leaving Cobbs's still sizzling corpse on the ground.

"Oh God, where did that thing go?!" yelled one of the troops.

SFC Royce was wondering the same thing as he dropped his now useless rifle and pulled his sidearm out of its holster. Just then, a large panel on the wall next to the soldiers burst open and the creature appeared in the midst of them. They hardly had time to turn toward it before it began to slay them in a cruel dance of its bladed tail, claws, and acid. One by one, they fell until even Royce drew his final breath as the last living human in The Citadel.

…

The Zealot stood absolutely still, arms splayed slightly to its sides, dripping with blood. _"Ssssucccessssssss..." _its weak and shackled mind projected to its master. Further instructions came, and it darted away from the scene of slaughter toward its next objective, obeying Her decree with absolute conviction and no hesitation.

…...

Verexa stood at Thoulux's side as the strange xenomorph in front of them approached them with long strides that seemed uneven and unsteady like they were... forced. It stopped and stared at them. Acid dripped from its mouth, but it didn't appear to be bleeding. Thoulux took a step in front of her. She felt slightly flattered that he would do so to protect her, but in reality, it was her who should be protecting him as he was injured and still bleeding slightly. He telepathically spoke aloud for any xenomorph nearby to hear, _"Who are you?"_ He received no reply from the being ahead of them, and Verexa could tell that it had little to no mind to reach out to in the first place. It simply stood and stared, waiting.

Suddenly, she sensed a spike of mental pain from her friend, which he actually cringed at slightly. Before she could reach out to help him keep his balance, she heard it. There was clearly a voice, which she could only hear second hand via her link to Thoulux's mind. Nevertheless, its power as well as its malevolence was clear. _**"The humans once called it 'Specimen001.' You might call it your sibling. It is, in fact, The Zealot; **_**MY **_**Zealot." **_the voice said in answer to Thoulux's previous question.

She could feel her companion fighting through the mental pain. She wanted so badly to help him somehow, but she could not. _"Then what are you?" _he asked.

_**"I? I am a goddess of the mind. I am the goddess of **_**your **_**mind. I am the goddess of you as a whole. I control you. I. Am. You!" **_the voice answered, sounding offended at first that Thoulux had had the audacity to question it directly and then sounding triumphant at the end and growing in intensity.

He collapsed to his knees again, but the mental pain he felt now was infinitely greater than the physical pain he had felt earlier from being shot through the chest.

_**"I gave you your life, and in return, you shall obey my will. Your life exists because I created it, you grew and escaped because I allowed it, and you will serve because I demand it. The outsider that you have allied yourself with will either be subjugated as well, or she will die."**_

Verexa watched and listened in horror and helplessness. She tried desperately to think of a way to help Thoulux, and her view fell upon the strange Zealot still standing still and staring at them. In a bout of fury, she took to all fours and sprinted toward it with murderous intent. _"Verexa!" _Thoulux shouted at her telepathically, but that was all he had time to say before she was upon the other xenomorph.

Time seemed to slow down as her veins pulsed with the adrenaline equivalent of her species. Mere meters away from her enemy, she caught its awful scent; it smelled neither male nor female, only of death and malice. It reacted slowly, as if it were preoccupied in deep thought, only crouching into a fighting stance when the sentry was only a leap away. It was too late for it to escape, and they both knew it.

Verexa lunged forward with her powerful legs and dug her claws deep into the sides of The Zealot's chest, drawing blood and eliciting a screech of pain. It caught her, but fell backward awkwardly. However, it regained its sense of battle quickly, giving the sentry a quick kick to the abdomen with both of its feet after landing on its back. It had just enough force to throw Verexa off of it, giving it enough time to roll over and face her next assault. She hissed threateningly and whipped her tail at it, but it deftly blocked the attack with its own tail. Without hesitation, she again charged toward it aggressively, trying to force it backward to gain the upper hand. The two of them locked hands as each tried to push the other back. Their tails collided at their sides and became another component of the deadlock; they seemed evenly matched in strength, but neither was about to back down.

It wasn't long before The Zealot resorted to its natural advantage and instinctively coughed acid all over its opponent. Unfortunately for it, the acid, very similar to xenomorph blood, was simply impotent to another xenomorph such as Verexa. However, she was caught off guard by the new form of attack. She almost lost her footing from surprise and the fact the the acid was dripping and burning parts of the floor beneath her. But suddenly, Thoulux appeared behind The Zealot, and wrapped his arms up underneath its shoulders, pulling it back away from Verexa and allowing her to regain her footing. It fought and struggled to free itself from the warrior's grasp, but he was both better positioned and far greater in strength. Despite his injury, he maintained his hold.

It continued to struggle vainly in his arms, and the sentry took the opportunity to jab her tail tip up under and behind its chin. The spear like tip pierced the flesh behind its chin and within its mouth easily, but met some resistance from the roof of its mouth and the bottom of its cranium. With a bit more pressure, the bone gave way, and Verexa's tail impaled The Zealot's skull and the front of its brain. It instantly went totally limp in Thoulux's arms, and he now supported its entire weight while his companion slid her tail back. He then let the body of his sibling fall, took a step back, and brought a hand to the ridged top of his head. His brain still ached, and the presence was definitely still there, but it had been weakened by Verexa's attack on The Zealot.

Verexa quickly went to him to offer support, but the voice then spoke again. _**"Your offenses will not be stood for. You **_**will **_**be assimilated into my regime, and when that happens, I will force you to kill your own companion slowly and painfully. You will keep only enough of your own consciousness to watch yourself do it," **_it said with scorn and absolution. _**"Now, come crawling to the mistress of your being. Obey!"**_

Verexa grabbed Thoulux by arm and tried to pull him onward, but he stood fast. _"No! My only companion, we must leave this place and never return! She does not control you. Come with me! Please!" _she begged. The warrior twitched once and turned to her.

_"Verexa, I... I can not. I'm... being manipulated. I must go; we... must finish this," _he said, internal struggle clear in his mental voice. _"Please, follow to save me... to save us." _His body took a forced step against his mind's own will. He felt his extremities begin to go numb as if they were no longer there, and they moved without his command. _"Please, Verexa, forgive my actions, for they are no longer entirely my own. No matter what, you... have my love." _His body continued to travel closer and closer to the voice's origin: Thoulux's lost queen Herself.

Verexa followed through several passageways in a panic. _What did he mean by "we must finish this"? _she wondered. Realization then came to her. His queen was imposing Her control over him telepathically, and She sought to bring him closer to Her to establish full control over him, knowing that Verexa would follow so that She could make him kill her as She had said. Thoulux wanted her to follow him, for she was now his only chance of freedom from mental enslavement. Thoulux wanted her to kill his queen.

She now had a choice to continue to follow in order to free Thoulux and possibly be slaughtered trying, or she could flee, leave The Citadel, and never look back. She took only a moment to decide, and followed on with resolution and whole conviction to save her friend and prospective mate.

…

The Scourge Queen let out a rumble of satisfaction, as her long detached offspring finally succumbed to her will. He came to her entirely unwillingly, but that didn't matter to Her, it never had, and it never would. She demanded that her children would obey her piously, even at the expense of every bit of free will they had. The human interlopers had interfered with Her regime for far too long, but their demise had come, and Her escape was near. The loss of Her Zealot was a very disappointing hindrance indeed, but the control of Her lost son would be sufficient to ensure Her freedom. Tactically, it would be best for Her to attempt subjugation upon the outsider that Her son allied with, but after she killed Her Zealot, She would accept nothing less than her confirmed death.

The large entrance to Her holding chambers was then forced open, and the assimilating son entered, followed by his used-to-be companion. Almost the entirety of Her mind was focused on Her offspring; this was necessary to fully establish control over him permanently so long as She lived. His thoughts, perceptions, and physical abilities became Hers to control, as he became a mentally tied puppet. As She had stated that She would, he was left with just enough consciousness to see his actions without control of them. _**"And now, my child, I rule you too," **_She said, Her voice dripping with malice.

…

For the first time in two years, Verexa was once again in the awe striking presence of a queen. However, there was no love or care from this queen, and she felt no respect or appreciation for Her existence, only scorn and the will to end it. Thoulux's queen was hung in the middle of the large chamber by heavy metal restraints, which were inert due to the lack of power and could only be opened by being destroyed externally. She was completely still, seemingly focused on Her telepathic subjugation of Thoulux. Verexa recognized this as perhaps the only opportunity that she would get.

She took a step in the queen's direction, but noticed Thoulux's gaze snap to her direction in her peripheral perception. The warrior and the queen who controlled him were obviously aware of her intentions, and it was also obvious that Thoulux was no longer in control of his physical being. When she tried to reach her mind to his, she felt only the strange, oppressive presence of the queen's mind and the faintest remnant of Thoulux himself trying desperately to reach back. It became clear that Verexa's time to act was quickly running out. She sprinted toward the queen's massive, restrained form, and the warrior immediately gave chase.

She dashed underneath the queen and went to jump up Her right flank. She jumped as high as she could to escape her pursuer and caught the ridge of the queen's right hip, using it to pull herself up on to the small of Her back. Grasping the protruding ridges of Her spine as well as Her dorsal spikes, Verexa made it to the base of the queen's neck until she had to turn to face Thoulux, who had gained on her significantly. He lunged toward her to stop her, but she managed to deftly raise her leg just in time to deliver a powerful kick to his head, halting his attack in midair and knocking him off of the queen's body and back to the ground below. He landed with a thud and began to get up, but the sentry knew that he wouldn't have time to attack her again before she had completed her original goal.

She continued until she had ducked under the queen's massive crown and positioned her tail just over where the crown joined to Her skull. _**"You can't kill me! This cannot happen!"**_ the queen called desperately to Verexa via her link to Thoulux.

_"You're the second being to beg me for its life since I've been in this place, but worry not, my queen," _she said with scorn and sarcasm, _"you will not feel a thing."_

With that, she raised her tail tip slightly in preparation and then drove it with all her might through the queen's skull and deep into Her powerful brain. Verexa drove in as much of her tail length as she could reach. The queen spasmed in Her restraints before finally dying. The sentry pulled her tail back, more than a meter of it covered in green blood and brain matter. She then carefully leaped down from the queen's suspended corpse and landed gracefully on her feet. Searching desperately for Thoulux, she found him sprawled on the ground not far from where he landed after being kicked. Verexa quickly crossed the room toward him. She could sense that he was still alive, but he didn't seem conscious. Her concern piqued upon arriving at his prone form.

_Will he still be hostile if I manage to wake him? _she wondered. There was only one way to find out, so she carefully and gently nudged his side. There was no response. _"Thoulux, please wake up. We can't stay here any-" _she said before her mental sentence was cut short as the warrior suddenly lurched, sat upright, and began breathing in ragged, desperate breaths. She quickly placed her hands on his powerful shoulders gently but firmly and said, _"Calm yourself, Thoulux! You're safe. I'm here, and there is no immediate danger. However, we should not stay here any longer." _She did her best to calm him despite the fact that she was still slightly concerned that he might attack her again.

Thoulux seemed to start coming to his senses; his breathing slowed and became more even, and he turned his attention toward the female xenomorph holding on to his shoulders. His mind was flooded as his memories came rushing back to him. He immediately wrapped his arms around his companion, and she returned the gesture, after only a short bout of hesitation, by hugging him over the shoulders and around the neck. They released their warm embrace, and he said _"Verexa, I'm so sorry. I-"_

Though his strong voice was very comforting for her to hear again, she had to interrupt him. _"Thoulux, I forgive you completely, though I do not believe you need my forgiveness at all. We can discuss this later if we must, but for now, it's time we left this place once and for all," _she said calmly.

_"Agreed,"_ the warrior replied hesitantly, getting to his feet and helping Verexa to stand as well. With that, they began to make their way out of The Citadel together, moving through the vents and stopping for nothing along the way.

…

The sun steadily rose in the sky until it was blocked by thick, dark clouds, a rare occurrence for the region especially after the war ruined the global climate. Captain Carlson became very frustrated at the fact that First Platoon was now an hour past due to return, and they hadn't even reported in. In only a short while, all the soldiers that he had sent into The Citadel would surely be dead from radiation poisoning. The only thing greater than his frustration was his concern that perhaps they were already dead. Something obviously wasn't right down there, and it was time that Second Platoon went down there to find out what happened and evacuate First Platoon if need be. He decided that he would accompany them in doing so.

After ordering the company first sergeant to assemble the rest of the company, he stood before them and began to relay the information. "Alright, Echo Company, First Platoon is late coming back, and we haven't heard from them either. Therefore, we're going in after them. Grab your gear, put a vest on, and be ready to infiltrate The Citadel in five minutes." he said. A series of affirmatives came in reply, as the men dispersed to ready their weapons and equipment in the APCs. Even as his troops were all busy prepping gear, he couldn't shake the feeling that someone... or something was watching him.

**Author's Note:**** I'm back from vacation and happy to present the seventh chapter of this story! I'm a little disappointed at the lack of reviews, but the fact that this story gets way more views than I thought it would and the fact that I have a ton of fun writing it ensure that I'll keep writing for a while to come. That being said, please feel free to review or PM me about this story; it would really make my day. As always, thanks for reading!**

**P.S. Sorry if the chapter title was a bit too much of a spoiler; it was too fitting, and I had to use it.**

**I do not own anything in this story except the plot and characters.**


	8. Chapter 8- Love and Courtship

**Author's Note:**** To help clarify the time line a bit:**

**I'm sticking with the xenomorph developmental time frame indicated by the films, which indicates less than a week for a xenomorph to go from facehugger to full grown xenomorph. However, I'm taking the liberty of saying that it takes about a year for them to fully develop as an adult.**

**The nuclear war ended more than two years before the beginning of this story.**

**Verexa was born a little less than a year before the war, making her three years old at this point in the story.**

**Phoenix found The Citadel about a month after the war, including The Scourge Queen and two live eggs. **

**Through a combination of human error and intentional experimentation, Specimen001 and Specimen002 were born shortly after the discovery of The Citadel. Therefore, Thoulux is now almost exactly two years old.**

**No, this age gap between Verexa and Thoulux is not significant.**

**I've reread the entire story to check for content that contradicts this time line and found none. However, if you find anything in previous chapters that is impossible given this time line (plot holes), _please _PM me right away so that I can fix it. Thank you, and enjoy!**

**Alien: Post-Apocalypse**

Chapter 8: Love and Courtship

A four fingered hand gripped the edge of the outlet vent as Verexa pulled the rest of her body out of the same ventilation shaft, through which they had entered, and onto the hot, dry surface of the planet once more. She was soon followed by Thoulux who found her with her head pointed skyward. The warrior followed her gaze and was perplexed to find that the sun was being blocked behind huge, dark masses floating in the sky. _"It appears that it might rain soon. Excellent, for we won't last long in this environment without water." _she said with hope in her mental voice. Thoulux redirected his attention to Verexa. He had no idea what "rain" meant, but it clearly had something to do with water. He was about to ask her to explain when she turned to look at him, and her focus shifted to another topic. _"Thoulux, I don't wish to impose myself upon you; you can go your separate way from me whenever you feel inclined to do so. However... I find myself wanting your company, and I would be more than happy if you chose to stay with me. I just want you to know that that choice is entirely your own." _she stated. She hadn't forgotten what he'd said just before their confrontation with the queen, but there was always the possibility that she'd misinterpreted him or that he had changed his mind. Her feelings for him had grown beyond the point where it was sufficient to only hope that he intended to stay with her long term; she needed to know for sure one way or the other.

Thoulux contemplated what she'd said for only a brief moment before taking a couple calm and deliberate steps toward her and reaching his arms out reassuringly. Without hesitation, she took a step forward and entered his embrace willingly, nuzzling her head against his chest and under his chin. _"I have no intention of parting ways with you any time soon, and I would be honored to remain at your side," _he said sincerely.

She wanted to bask in the moment, to simply enjoy the smell of his now familiar scent and the sound of his strong heart beating, but there was one last thing gnawing at her conscience. She struggled for a moment to find her words. _"I'm so sorry..." _she said vaguely after her short pause. Her mental voice reflected her sorrow, very similar to the way a human on the verge of tears might sound.

_"For what? You've nothing to be sorry about," _the warrior said soothingly, still holding her close to him.

_"I'm sorry that you never had a mother or a family who loved you. I'm sorry that I had to be the one to kill them. I'm... I'm so sorry for suggesting that we come here in the first place." _she clarified sadly.

_"As you said to me, I forgive you although you do not need my forgiveness. You killed my queen to save me from becoming a mere thrall to Her. I'll never regret Her death. Besides, I've found love elsewhere," _he said in a comforting tone.

His words brought a smile to Verexa as she crooned softly. _"Let's leave this place and never look back to it." _she suggested.

_"I agree entirely. Which way shall we go?" _Thoulux asked. As he finished his question, the sun found a small gap in the clouds, showing that it was now on the latter half of its arch through the sky and was slowly approaching the horizon to the west. The two xenomorphs released their hold on one another and turned their heads toward Earth's nearest star.

_"We'll follow the sun, I suppose, and hope that rain comes along the way." _answered the sentry. With that, they began running west, side by side.

…

**"Captain, we just offed four of the researchers... something's wrong with them and they attacked us. They... hardly look human anymore; they're all burnt and rotted, and their blood is thick as molasses," **somebody reported over Carlson's earpiece.

He swore under his breath before responding, "Roger that. Keep your guard up in case the rest of the civies down here are hostile, but don't fire unless they attack you first. Report in immediately if you find the operations center or any survivors from Echo First."

**"Yes, sir." **

Upon entering The Citadel, Captain Carlson had his men split up into four groups. Each team was lead by either Second Platoon's platoon sergeant, Second Platoon's platoon leader, the company first sergeant, or Carlson himself; not exactly a by-the-book method, but it had worked thus far. As he lead his six man team through the eerie corridors, they had found several dead soldiers from First Platoon as well as the mutilated corpses of some of the researchers. It was a gore fest. One room in particular – a cafeteria of some sorts – was littered with dead bodies, severed limbs, spent magazines, and blood everywhere. They continued on after cutting open a sealed door. It didn't appear that any of Echo First had gone this way.

**"Sir, we just entered the reactor chamber. We found four dead bodies with bullet wounds. Looks like a triple murder/suicide; one of the scientists must have lost it, killed the technicians, and started the reactor meltdown. Speaking of which, I think the reactor itself is beyond repair," **said First Sergeant Princeton over the comm.

"Affirmative. Get your men away from the reactor; that's probably where all the radiation is coming from." Captain Carlson replied. Living in a post-nuclear war era meant that radiation was just a part of life, but that didn't mean his troops needed to stand in the same room as a damaged nuclear reactor for no good reason. _My superiors are gonna be pissed when they find out that this place is unrecoverable, _he thought to himself.

Carlson and his team continued through the empty hallways. Eventually, they found the ops center. "Grab the security records," he ordered. Two soldiers immediately grabbed the hard drives that contained the security footage for the facility. Fortunately, the security cameras were also on the emergency power grid and had recorded everything since the emergency began.

**"Captain Carlson, this is Sergeant Mullen. We found Lieutenant Harver. He's dead, sir. Looks like he was stabbed below the ribs." **reported Second Platoon's platoon sergeant.

"How the hell did somebody manage to jam a knife all the way through his body armor?!" asked the company commander incredulously.

**"The hole in him is way to big to have come from a knife, sir..." **the sergeant said darkly.

Before Carlson could respond, another voice came over the comm. **"Sir, I think we found the ****rest of First Platoon, all KIA. A few of them have cuts and claw marks, like they were attacked by some kind of animal. One of them was cut clean in half. The rest are just... melted or something," **said Lieutenant Dawes.

Carlson's jaw hung open as he listened. He could hardly believe what he was hearing. Something had gone horribly wrong in this place, and it was high time the they all leave. Snapping to his senses he said, "All teams, this is Captain Carlson. We've got the black box recordings, and we are now leaving immediately. Drop what you're doing, and find your way out of The Citadel ASAP."

He had just turned to exit the operations center when First Sergeant Princeton's voice spoke through his earpiece once again. **"Captain, on our way back, we found some kind of massive creature. It looks dead, but I think this is what they were studying here before the emergency. You might want to take a look at it before we leave."**

…

Several hours had passed, and the pair of xenomorphs were still traveling due west. In search of what, they did not know. The only thing that mattered at the moment was putting distance between them and the horrors of The Citadel. The sun was fully covered by "clouds," as Verexa had called them.

Suddenly, Thoulux became aware of the strange sensation of water on his flesh in various places. His sentry companion came to a halt, apparently feeling the water upon herself as well. Stopping next to her and focusing his perception, he could just barely see the movement caused by tiny water droplets as they fell from the sky. _This must be the "rain" that Verexa was talking about, _he reasoned. The intensity of the rain soon increased dramatically, drenching the two xenomorphs. It was wonderful feeling that was especially welcome in the hot, unforgiving desert.

Verexa turned to him calmly, water dripping freely over her sleek, black carapace and giving her skin and chitin a rather alluring shine. _"The humans' war ruined this planet's climate. Rain in this area is rare and unpredictable; we're very fortunate that it came now when we need it." _she said, sending silent thanks to the spirit of her lost mother.

Thoulux couldn't help but admire her beauty while she spoke, but he listened to her words intently nevertheless. Indeed, he could already feel his thirst building and was therefore thankful for the strange occurrence of fresh water falling abundantly from above. However, he couldn't find an efficient way of sating his thirst. As though reading his mind, his friend got to her knees, placed one hand flat on the ground while cupping the other as best a xenomorph can, and began digging a medium sized hole. Confused at first, the warrior was impressed when water began to rapidly pool inside the hole. He quickly knelt across from her and proceeded to help her dig.

Before long, their little watering hole was sufficient in size and had accumulated plenty of water. Although it was a bit murky from the dusty earth, it was certainly potable. They drank deeply, neither being bothered at all by the proximity of the other's head to their own. After they had both drank their fill, Thoulux stood to continue on, but Verexa simply sat back with her knees close to her chest and her tail wrapped neatly over her feet. She was entirely unhurried and clearly wanted only to rest for a while in the rain. She looking up toward her companion and patted the earth next to her with the palm of her hand, indicating for him to take a seat with her.

They were more or less in the middle of nowhere, and there was no need to rush, so he happily decided that taking a moment to rest with her wouldn't hurt. Thoulux sat right beside her and was both slightly surprised and contented when she leaned against him slightly. Together, they sat in the empty wasteland as the rain continued to fall. It washed away the blood, dried acid, and other grime from The Citadel that had tarnished their obsidian black figures.

After a long yet comfortable silence, Verexa asked, _"Do you think that we'll ever find a place to settle and claim as our own, or do you think we will wander like this for the duration of our lives?" _Her mental voice was soft and feminine, but the lethal huntress behind it was unmistakable.

Thoulux wanted so badly to tell her something reassuring and hopeful, but his mind was mostly set toward realism, and besides that, he didn't have enough experience of the world to be able to tell her. _"From what little I've seen of this world, it doesn't bode well to remain in one place for long; sustenance is scarce, and we are also not without enemies. However, I do long for such a place as __where we can stay permanently and remain together," _he answered, choosing his words as best he could.

She considered his reply, and warm feelings emanated from her via their mental link. _"I agree," _she said.

The warrior was happy that she had responded positively to his answer. He then stood and said, _"Though, we won't find a place like that here. We should continue onward." _She still didn't seem eager to leave just yet, but when Thoulux offered his hand to help her to her feet, she accepted it. The rain had died down to a light shower, and the clouds were beginning to part, revealing the sun low in the sky. Thoulux once again found himself admiring her lithe figure, but he wouldn't allow himself to be so rude as to stare, so after lifting her to a standing position, he led the way as they continued westward.

…

Captain Carlson and his team were the last to arrive at First Sergeant Princeton's position after he had ordered everyone to rendezvous there. They had encountered a few more of the mutated researchers along the way, but they managed to dispatch them without taking casualties. As he entered the room that the first sergeant had indicated, he was utterly stunned at what he saw: a massive pitch black creature suspended by heavy metal restraints. It had four arms, two powerful looking legs, a tail that was perhaps half a dozen meters in length with a sharp blade at the tip, and its head was adorned with what could only be described as a giant, black crown. A trail of yellowish-green liquid, which Carlson could only assume was its blood, slowly dripped from behind its crown and onto the metal floor where it was burning a large hole, suggesting that the blood was highly acidic.

Words had failed him up to this point, but he finally found his voice. "I've seen more than enough of this place. We're leaving. Now. The people higher up on the chain of command can worry about this mess." he said definitively to everyone around him. The remainder of Echo Company followed Captain Carlson out of The Citadel. No sooner had the group exited the facility's main entrance than the emergency power supply ran out, and the entire underground structure was plunged into total darkness. "Load up the APCs; we're heading back to base." Carlson ordered. Once the APCs were on the move, Captain Carlson began preparing his report for debriefing. He had lost half of his company, and had failed to recover The Citadel as instructed. An organization such as Phoenix was far from a forgiving one, and there would be a high price to pay for such a failure. He could only hope that the contents of The Citadel's black box were worth it.

…

Empty desert, empty desert, and more empty desert: that's all that the two xenomorphs had come across as they ran for hours, chasing the sun, which had sank not long ago. The rain had stopped and the clouds had cleared mostly. With every hill, dune, or ridge that they surmounted, they hoped to find something of interest – namely prey to hunt and some shelter to stay in – but they were only greeted by more empty desert. The stars shone down on them, as their pace slowed over time until they eventually came to a stop toward the end of a small valley. The area around them was clear, save for a few rocks and clusters of cacti.

_"Perhaps we should rest here for a while and recover out strength. We can continue whenever we feel rested." _Thoulux suggested. While they had only been awake for about 24 hours, he was starting to feel fatigued, and the events of the day were taking their toll on him. He could tell that Verexa was in a similar condition.

_"I couldn't agree more." _said Verexa with a noticeable hint of relief in her mental voice. Privately, she was concerned about her companion's injury. It seemed to be healing quite well; the gaping hole in his upper chest had already mended itself, but she could tell that it still pained him greatly. Running for dozens of kilometers certainly wasn't helping it, so the relief she felt was for him, not for herself.

They found a soft spot in the sand, upon which Verexa settled down to find a comfortable position. Thoulux laid down about a meter away from her. He knew full well about the progress they had made in their relationship, but he wasn't sure if lying right next to her would be overstepping a boundary. He decided it was best to restrain himself and respect her personal space as much as possible, although he knew he would rather sleep closer to her.

At that, he was relieved when she softly asked _"won't you lie closer to me?" _

_ "Certainly,"_ he replied and proceeded to scoot in her direction, taking care to not put too much weight on his injured side.

Settling himself right next to her, facing her as she faced him, he soon felt the end of her tail begin to wrap itself around his own. It was a slightly strange feeling, but despite his lack of worldly experience, Thoulux recognized it as a rather intimate gesture and was happy to reciprocate it. _"Verexa, about what I said just before... before I..." _he started to say.

_"I know," _his companion said. She didn't particularly want to think about the time that he was referring to: when his queen had taken control over him. And, it was clear that it bothered him as well. So, she interrupted that part before allowing him to continue with the rest of what he had to say.

_"I meant what I said before that happened. It feels like months since we were brought together, and I feel an indescribable attraction to you. I love you, Verexa." _he finished with all the sincerity in the world.

Her heart leaped at what he said. She hadn't realized how badly she had needed to hear those words under calm circumstances. She gently placed her hand over his heart, careful of his bullet wound. _ "Survival instincts are important to our kind by nature, but love can be a beautiful thing as well. I often think back to the happiness that the mated pairs of my hive once shared in their lives, and I can't help but want that for myself. I've never felt this way toward another before, but it's a wonderful __feeling. I love you as well, Thoulux," _she replied ever so softly, her voice equivalent to a whisper.

_"I'm not sure where this relationship will take us, but I do know beyond doubt that at your side is where I belong," _he said with conviction, placing a hand over hers.

_"Sleep well, my love. I look forward to seeing you when I wake," _she responded.

_"Likewise," _he said with great warmth in his mental voice. And with that, the pair of xenomorphs drifted to sleep in each other's embrace.

**Author's Note:**** This chapter was rather difficult to write. I tried very hard to get all the dialogue moments just right, but I'm still not totally satisfied with all of it. I had a lot more planned for this chapter, but decided that it would be best to save it until the next one, for this one was taking too long to finish. My apologies if this chapter isn't quite up to par, but the relationship building is very important to me, and I wanted to make some progress on it. Rest assured that the events coming in the next chapter will be a lot more interesting. I'll be adding a few new characters as well *wink*. Anyways, for those of you (like me) who enjoy the more mooshy gooshy stuff, I really hope you liked this chapter, and there will be more of that to come (but keep in mind that this story ****_will _remain T rated).**

**As always, thank you very much for reading. Please, comment and review (4 reviews out of about 1500 views? C'mon!), and PM me if you have any questions about this story.**

**I do not own anything in this story except the plot and characters.**


	9. Chapter 9- Allegiance

**Author's Note:**** Apologies for the long wait.**

**Alien: Post-Apocalypse**

Chapter 9: Allegiance

The thrill of self indulgence was the only emotion Verexa felt as her tail pierced deeper and deeper into the human's ribcage. She was completely caught in her moment of blood lust, so she didn't bother to take notice of the odd familiarity of the situation. He cried in sheer agony, which only served to spur her on. She could feel the extremely sharp tip of her tail puncture the various vital organs within his chest cavity. The sense of premonition coming over her became harder to ignore, but she continued to do so nevertheless. The human's life force became weaker and weaker, and she simply saw it as the satisfying end of a threat; a threat to her and...

"_Thoulux!" _she said, as she released the now dead human and whipped around urgently. Just as she expected, he was behind her and had collapsed to his knees. His green blood flowed freely from between his fingers as he clutched a gaping hole near the center of his chest. He turned his head up toward her and reached his mind out to hers, but he was unable to project the words he so desperately wanted to tell her before his life left him.

The warrior fell forward face first onto the cold metal floor. Verexa sprinted across the few meters between them. However, those few meters may as well have been light years, for he was dead before he even hit the floor. Out of hollow desperation, she got to her knees, grabbed him by the shoulders, rolled his body over, placed the palm of her hand over his ribs,... and felt nothing.

He was dead. Never again would the steady beat of his heart be there to comfort her. She was alone once more. Verexa lowered her head as she silently but deeply mourned the death of her friend and would-have-been lover. She couldn't stand the idea of continuing on by herself; having the presence and friendship of another had, in a way, spoiled her will to survive on nothing more than self-sufficiency.

_**"Rest easy, my beloved child." **_said a soft yet powerful voice that was very familiar to Verexa. Her senses came back to her, and she realized that she was no longer in The Citadel and was no longer holding Thoulux's body. Instead, she found the interior of her queen's chamber and the queen herself stood before her a few paces away.

_"Mother, he is dead! I have lost him, and nothing will bring him back!" _she said with little composure. Mother stepped forward on her powerful legs and knelt before her mourning daughter. She reached out with both pairs of arms and gently cradled her child. Verexa wrapped her arms around her queen, very thankful for the consolation that she offered.

_**"You worry needlessly. Right now, Thoulux is sound asleep, yet very much alive and with you in his embrace. What you've seen is merely what could have been if fate had been more cruel," **_the queen replied soothingly. The feeling of relief that fell over Verexa was second only to that which she received upon feeling Thoulux's heart when he had actually been shot in The Citadel. _**"Do not forget this feeling. Keep it ever present in your mind so that you will never take his companionship for granted. Nothing is guaranteed in the world of reality. You have something that few individuals will ever have the luxury of finding. You've found your other half, not just a mate. The two of you were meant for each other, and I believe both of you know that," **_her queen continued.

Verexa was truly and profoundly touched by Mother's words. _"Thank you, Mother... I miss you so much. I miss your love, your advice, your knowledge..." _she said, her mental voice a perfect mixture of happiness, sorrow, and reminiscence.

The queen stroked her daughter's back in a calming gesture. _**"With that, it pains me even greater to tell you that this will likely be the last time that we speak with one another. There will soon be a decision that you must make, and although I cannot help you in any way to make it, I know that you will decide correctly. Just know that I love you, and I am so very proud that you are my own,"**_ she said solemnly.

At first, Verexa was shocked by what her queen had said; she was confused by what this "decision" might be, but for reasons that she just couldn't explain, she understood and did not question it. _"I love you too, my queen. I was so fortunate to have had you in my life," _she replied sincerely. Then, the queen released their embrace and stood as Verexa did the same.

_**"Goodbye, my beloved Verexa."**_

___"Goodbye, Mother."_

…

Verexa returned to consciousness with a small gasp. She found herself at the bottom of a slope leading out of the empty valley that she had fallen asleep in. True to her mother's words, Thoulux laid in front of her, his breath steady and even, his heart beating as strongly as ever, and his arms wrapped around her body just as her arms were wrapped around him. She let out a very soft sigh as she took in his presence. _My other half, _she thought to herself warmly.

She realized that there was still plenty of time left in the night and decided to return to sleep, but what she didn't realize was that the next time she woke, her life would once again never be the same.

…

Thoulux woke to find the familiar figure a female sentry standing a few meters in front of his prone form. The sun hadn't quite come up yet, so he wondered why Verexa would already be awake. Suddenly he became extremely confused by two things: one, the silhouette standing in front of him certainly didn't hold the same beauty as his friend and companion, and two, he could still clearly feel Verexa resting against him. Realization struck him; the other sentry was an unknown xenomorph and therefore a potential threat to himself and his prospective mate. The new sentry began to approach, and the time came for him to act. Fighting his own drowsiness, Thoulux began to rise, grabbing Verexa by the shoulders and shaking her gently yet firmly in order to wake her as he did so. She came to and got to her feet, recognizing the new threat. The other sentry came to a halt perhaps three meters in front of them, and she was now accompanied by a drone on either side of her.

Verexa hissed threateningly as she and Thoulux squared off with the three unknown xenomorphs. A sentry and a warrior against a sentry and two drones was a fairly even fight, and both sides seemed quite reluctant to make the first move. _"Take another step toward him, and you'll pay dearly for it, cur!" _said Verexa, although it would likely only sound like telepathic noise to the other xenomorphs aside from Thoulux.

The strange sentry seemed confused and then did, in fact, take a step forward, and Verexa immediately gave another hiss just before lunging directly at her. She head butted the sentry's center of mass, causing her to lose balance and land ungracefully on her hind quarters with Verexa pinning her to the ground. The drones seemed very surprised at first but soon moved to help their sister. Thoulux reacted quickly to protect his friend from the pair of drones. Before they could reach her, he charged forward and bludgeoned the nearest drone's cranium with the back of his forearm, knocking it to the ground and dazing it. He proceeded to grab the second drone by the neck with adept precision. It let out a choked hiss, but its struggles to escape his firm grasp were in vain.

_"... stop...!" _It took a short moment for the warrior to realize that the call had come from the sentry still pinned beneath Verexa. Her mental voice was faint and distant sounding in much the same way Verexa's had sounded when she had first established a mental link with him. Nevertheless, it caused him to pause. _"Release..." _she continued. Thoulux hesitated, eventually loosening his grip on the second drone's neck, but not before snarling a warning toward it. The meaning was clear: betraying this act of mercy would end badly for the strange sentry and her siblings. Verexa watched Thoulux over her shoulder and chose to follow his lead. She turned her head back forward, coming face to face with the other sentry, and she hissed a warning similar to Thoulux's before reluctantly getting off from atop of her.

Verexa sidestepped toward Thoulux, joining him at his side but never letting the other xenomorphs out of her focus. The other sentry was back on her feet, and her siblings now stood slightly behind her. Thoulux noted that the drone that he had stricken with his forearm still seemed dazed and unsteady on its feet. He took half a step forward and said, _"Explain," _telepathically, knowing that single words and small phrases would be easiest for the other xenomorphs to interpret with only a brand new link to work with. While waiting for their reply, he noticed that the drones were both female, like their sister, as was common for that class of xenomorph.

The sentry, of course, spoke for herself and her siblings once again. _"... hive... nearby..." _she answered, still sounding distant as well as some of the words being lost through the weak telepathic connection.

_"Thoulux, this is probably a patrol. Their hive is nearby, and we slept in their territory without realizing it." _Verexa explained astutely.

As he considered her explanation, it all became clear to him. The other xenomorphs hadn't attacked first; they were simply investigating a pair of possible intruders... who attacked them upon doing so. He felt the awkwardness of the situation, but he was able to ignore it for the sake of progress.

Just as Thoulux was considering a way of asking about what was going to be done about this predicament, he felt a much more powerful mental presence that he couldn't determine the source of, and then the other sentry spoke once again. _"...Empress... to see you," _she said.

_"Is that their queen?" _Thoulux asked Verexa. _"Their queen wishes to see us?"_

_ "Most likely. I don't think any harm is meant toward us. If so, these three would likely have made a stronger effort to fight back. Thoulux, we can run now and we'll probably escape, but perhaps we should take the offer and meet their queen." _she replied.

_"What if she only wishes to kill us herself for attacking her children?" _he proposed.

_"Doubtful. We spared them when we had the chance to simply kill them. That alone will earn some mercy from their queen." _she answered.

_"Then what does she want our presence for?"_

_ "We are quite possibly the first xenomorphs that they've come in to contact with from outside __their hive since the war. She's probably interested in our origin and what we're doing here in the first place." _Thoulux had a considerable amount of reluctance toward the idea of meeting another queen, and she could feel it from his mind. _"My love, I understand why you may not wish to ever see another queen again. As I said, we have the option of fleeing now. However, not every queen is as yours was, and there is much potential gain for us from meeting her." _she said as reassuringly as she could, but then she caught her own mistake. _"I... apologize. I know that must be painful for you, and I didn't mean to speak of your mother as I just did."_

Thoulux hesitated for a moment before saying, _"All is well; I wasn't offended. I trust you, and I will accompany you to meet their queen if you wish."_

She felt relieved to hear that, and sent her mental thanks. With that, she turned her attention back to the three other xenomorphs who were waiting patiently, seemingly aware that they were having a private conversation. _"Lead the way," _she said, hoping that they would understand and knowing they did when they turned and began climbing the slope.

_"Was it really necessary tackle into her like that?" _Thoulux asked.

_"Well, I _did _warn her, didn't I? So, she started it!" _Verexa answered with humor and mock indignation in her mental voice.

_"Something tells me she didn't quite get the message,"_ he replied, along with the telepathic equivalent of a laugh.

_"At least, not until I pinned her. And, for once, I'd like to wake up with you and not have to fight something off!" _she said, still with humor in her voice. A small smile came to her lips as they followed behind the other three xenomorphs. _"It feels good to share a lighthearted conversation with you," _she noted.

Thoulux was about to agree on all three accounts and perhaps reply with something witty when the group reached the top of the slope. Before them was a dark, roughly dome shaped structure, which sat upon yet another expanse of desert – although, this area seemed significantly more fertile than anywhere else they had been. Indeed, there were even patches of healthy desert vegetation. However, the main feature was certainly the strange dome with what appeared to to be tubes, tunnels, branches, and extensions protruding from it. The structure was perhaps two dozen or so meters high and over a hundred meters in diameter. It was foreign and perplexing to Thoulux, but he felt drawn to it for some reason.

_"Mother's spirit, that must be their hive!" _Verexa said excitedly. It was all she could do to refrain from sprinting ahead toward it. But after all, this was _not _her birth hive, and she doubted there would be much of a warm welcome for either her or her companion. The other sentry continued to lead on, her sisters on either side of her and Thoulux and Verexa close behind. About a minute passed after they picked up the pace, and they finally arrived at one of the hive's entrances.

There were several warriors present to greet the returning patrol and the two intruders they had with them. The guards were well aware of the queen's directive, and did not hinder them, allowing the sentry to continue leading the intruders deep into the hive and presumably toward the queen's chambers. Thoulux and Verexa both noticed the fact that, while some of the guards were male, most were female. Even the the warriors – a class predominately filled by males – were mostly female. They also noted that the other xenomorphs all seemed lesser in physical stature than themselves; not emaciated or underdeveloped, but simply not quite as well built. _Odd, _Verexa thought privately.

They followed on through the pitch black corridors. Verexa felt warm familiarity with the environment, but she kept her nostalgia well in check. Thoulux was a complete stranger to such a setting, despite the strange yet persistent sense of home that emanated from this place to his hive memories. The dark tunnels were intricately crafted out of the chitinous resin typical of xenomorph hives. Interestingly, there were sloped sections cut out of the walls at about shoulder level, and Verexa and Thoulux were amazed to find water flowing along the small paths.

_"One way or another, we won't leave thirsty," _Thoulux suggested privately, and Verexa sent her telepathic agreement.

Before long, they came to a halt in front of a very large threshold. The sentry turned to face them, and said, _"Enter," _gesturing toward the threshold with an open hand and an outstretched arm. After doing so, she and her sisters stepped away but did not leave entirely.

Verexa stepped closer to Thoulux before saying, _"This is definitely the entrance to their queen's chambers; I can already feel her mental presence within. I don't believe we're in any danger, but it obviously does not bode well for us to anger the queen in any way. Open your mind to her so that she can speak with us." _She felt the discomfort that he felt upon her suggesting that. Taking one of his hands in hers for emphasis, she continued, _"Thoulux, her children are not slaves to her, and I doubt we are to be so either." _He was noticeably calmed by her gesture and words, and he followed her closely after she let go of his hand and entered the queen's chamber.

The room was rather large, easily a dozen meters in height and more than twenty in diameter. A number of eggs were spaced evenly across the floor, and the queen herself was perched upon what could only be described as a mix between a throne and a nest near the back of the chamber. There was no sign of an ovipositor; it was likely that she hadn't needed to lay eggs in some time, for there was clearly an excess already. The chitinous throne conformed to the shape of her body while she sat nearly cross legged with both pairs of hands placed symmetrically over her knees. Her head protruded from beneath her crown, and her attention was clearly on the two strangers before her. Her lips could not entirely conceal her transparent, razor sharp teeth, though she did not bear them aggressively... for now.

Supports were attached to her back and dorsal spines. The black resin didn't quite match her body's plating, which had a slightly silver tint to it. Other than Thoulux and Verexa, she was the only occupant of the room at the moment.

Upon reaching the approximate center of the room, Thoulux and Verexa knelt and bowed their heads in respect. As per Verexa's suggestion, Thoulux opened his mind to allow the queen to form a direct telepathic link to him with her powerful mind, and his companion did the same. Almost immediately, he felt the intense strength of her telepathy reaching into his very consciousness. It was unnerving to say the least, but he didn't allow himself to fight it. _**"Your respect is appreciate, but please, relax and be seated," **_Said the queen. Her mental voice carried great might, yet it still maintained the gentleness of a mother. Her queen mind allowed for even such a new link to be clear, strong, and undistorted. The two smaller xenomorphs did as instructed and sat cross legged next to one another, looking up at the queen. _**"Have you been named?" **_she inquired.

_"I am Verexa, and this is my... companion, Thoulux. We were born of different mothers, both of whom are deceased, but we've come together in these trying times." _answered the sentry. She had almost introduced Thoulux as her mate, but decided at the last second that doing so wouldn't be appropriate yet. Also, it would suggest they had been bonded by a queen, which was untrue and would have raised questions given the rest of her statement.

_**"Understandable. Naturally, the two of you would most likely be enemies to each other, but the circumstances of the world today certainly make such an alliance viable. It was primarily by the same reasoning that you were not attacked upon being caught trespassing upon my territory, but my own curiosity played a role in that as well. Am I to assume that you are each the last of your respective hives?" **_

_ "Correct, honored queen. My sole sibling died along with my mother." _Thoulux replied.

_**"I see. And you, Verexa? You are female, but as a sentry, you will never molt to become a queen. Was there a female praetorian to succeed your mother or perhaps a drone to do so?"**_

__The memory of a fiery cloud of death and destruction in the distance returned to her mind before she answered. _"No. None of my siblings survived the humans' war. My lineage will die with me." _she said solemnly. She had never thought of it in that way before, and it greatly saddened her. She struggled to ignore such emotional pain and was very thankful to feel Thoulux doing his best to console her at least on a mental level. She could tell that he would much rather have held her in his arms to do so, but they both understood that this wasn't the time.

_**"You both have my sincerest empathy. May I ask what your goals are?" **_The way she proposed this inquiry was more out of politeness than actually requesting permission; she could just as easily demanded an explanation, but chose not to in a gesture of good will due to their cooperation thus far. _**"You have not gone rouge, per se, but I can only guess as to what the two of you strive for without the guidance of your queens. Yours is a rare case, indeed."**_

Thoulux answered to allow Verexa more time to compose herself if she needed it. _"There is a lot more to our story leading up to our current situation. To answer your question specifically for the present: we wander the wastelands searching for prey and water to sustain ourselves. Admittedly, an existence based solely on nomadic survival is hardly a fulfilling one. Ultimately, we hope to find a more permanent place to rest and hunt." _he said.

The queen considered his answer for a moment or so. Finally she replied, _**"You may have found such a refuge."**_

__Thoulux and Verexa were both shocked by her statement. _"Great queen, are... are you suggesting...?" _the latter said, not quite able to find her words through her excitement.

_**"That you assimilate into my regime," **_the queen finished for her. _**"Hosts are exceedingly rare as of late, due to the recent holocaust. However, we were fortunate enough to have chosen a location for our hive that was not only safe from their war, but also of a higher population carrying capacity than most of the surrounding region. There is room for perhaps a few additions to the hive. However, you are not captives here, and you are not meant to be captives. As you are, you do not pose a threat to myself or my regime, and I believe the two of you may benefit the hive. If you choose to leave, you may do so, so long as you do not trespass again. The decision is yours," **_she explained.

Verexa quickly got to her feet and turned toward Thoulux as he followed suit. She couldn't help but take his hands into hers. _"As you said, living a life in which we merely survive is not what I want for us. This the best opportunity that we're likely to ever get for something more than that. Of course, it won't be perfect; we will have to pull our own weight as well as contribute to the hive's well being. But, this is how xenomorphs were meant to live. I yearn to have such a life back, at least to some degree, and furthermore, it would please me to no end to share that life with you. This decision would be easy for me if I were alone, but I have a vested interest in your feelings about it as well." _she said with such hope. Privately, she begged that he would not make her choose between having a family again or having him.

He squeezed her hands gently as he thought. _"I agree. This is probably the only stroke of fortune of this kind that we're likely to find in this world, and I understand how much this means to you. If you choose to join their hive, I will stand with you, but I want to be very sure we know what we're involving ourselves with," _he replied after a short pause.

Verexa could hardly contain her joy, but she agreed with Thoulux's logic, and said, _"You're right."_

With that, he released her hands and they both turned to face the queen once more while she waited patiently. Thoulux stood tall as he spoke. _"Respected queen, your offer to allow us to join your regime is humbling, and we are very interested in doing so. However we would like to know exactly what our assimilation entails." _he said, hoping that his request was acceptable.

_**"Of course. Naturally, I will link your consciousnesses directly with the hive mind. I will be given full access to your mind, including your memories. Obviously, I am requiring your trust in me that I will not use this link to manipulate you; I have been gifted with strength in mind and influence, but each of my children are allowed their own free will. With that said, disobedience of my command is not tolerated. To be a member of my hive while maintaining the ability to act of your own accord means that you will also obey me of your own accord. Do you understand so far?" **_

___"Yes, perfectly. Please continue."_

_**"Very well. Thoulux, bear in mind that I will never call for your genetic code for my own reproduction under any circumstances. As your friend said in regard to herself, your lineage will die with you." **_the queen continued, though her tone did not match the harshness of her words. She spoke them as just another fact.

_"Understood," _replied the warrior. His deep mental voice projected the response with total nonchalance and indifference.

Privately, Verexa allowed herself the mental equivalent of a sigh of relief at both the queen's statement and, perhaps more importantly, the way in which Thoulux responded. She felt the slight sting of her own selfishness, but it didn't matter.

_**"Should you find a willing partner, even among my children, you will be allowed to court them and pursue them as a mate, if you so wish. Finally, you must never forget that the needs of the hive must always come before your own. I can tell that the two of you are at least somewhat close. I encourage this, but you must also understand that the hive must come before each other as well. If you decide to join us, then I suggest you place your primary loyalty to the hive as a whole, your secondary loyalty to myself, your tertiary loyalty to each other, and your loyalty to yourselves as individuals last. Once you've been linked to the hive consensus, you will be welcomed amongst your new brothers and sisters. They each have their own opinions, but whether they agree or disagree with my decision to accept you, they **_**will **_**respect it and act accordingly. That I can guarantee you. Now, are there any further questions?"**_

Thoulux turned to Verexa and said to her via their private link, _"That's sufficient for me. I am ready as soon as you are." _

The confidence in his voice was very significant to her, but this moment was possibly the last chance they would have to opt out. _"Are you completely sure, Thoulux? Joining our minds with their hive is entirely irreversible." _she said.

He guided his tail beside him until it found hers. _"I understand, my love, and I'm with you __completely," _he said, as his tail gently wrapped around her own.

Verexa beamed with pleasure at this. _"Then what are we waiting for? Let's begin the next chapter of our lives." _she replied.

Thoulux separated his tail from hers but kept close to her side as they approached the queen together and once again knelt before her. _"We accept your terms completely and without dispute, and we choose to be subject to your regime of our own accord. Please accept us, my queen."_

**Author's Note:**** The reason why Thoulux's queen is the only one referred to with capitalized pronouns (Her, She, Etc.) is because She viewed herself, more or less, as a sovereign deity. In other words, She was off her rocker, but Verexa's tail blade sure took care of that. Also, I admit that it was pretty useful for differentiating "She" meaning The Scourge Queen and "she" meaning Verexa. But, that's lazy, and I think my readers are more than intelligent enough to figure out which one I'm talking about anyways. As always, Thank you very much for reading, and please review.**

**I do not own anything in this story except the plot and characters.**


	10. Chapter 10- Welcome To The Hive

**Alien: Post-Apocalypse**

Chapter 10: Welcome To The Hive

Thoulux seemed to be floating in the strange twilight dream scape. He could neither see nor move his body. In fact, it appeared that his body was currently absent and apart from his mind. There was nothing but his very consciousness and that of the queen. The nothingness was terrifying to him, especially when coupled with the fact that he had no control of anything including his own being.

_**"Do not fret, child. Your mind isn't meant to handle this on its own, but I am here for that very reason, and you will not be kept like this for long," **_The queen said soothingly.

The warrior was immediately put at ease. At that very moment during the lull of his mental guard, the queen fully pierced his mind. She did so without warning, and it was not entirely with Thoulux's consent. Regardless, there was nothing he could have done about it anyways, given his current state against a mind so much greater than his own. It was overwhelming at first: two consciousnesses thinking out of one brain. But Thoulux knew that this had to be done, and he did his best to relax and allow the queen to do what she needed to do as quickly as possible. Nevertheless, he couldn't ignore the fact that the last time a queen had entered his mind in this fashion, he had become Her puppet.

The Empress set about the things required for assimilating Thoulux into the hive: giving him access to the hive mind consensus, providing him with a telepathic link to his new sisters and brothers, etcetera. With that finished, she delved deeper into his mind and, more specifically, his memories; if he was going to be counted among her children, she wished to know everything about him. _**"Have you anything to hide?" **_she asked, although she would soon find out anyways.

_"No, not from you, my queen. But, please, be understanding when you see what befell my mother," _he replied.

_**"You are a warrior whose queen has died while you remain alive. I am not unreasonable, but that is certainly an important matter to consider as one of your roles within my regime will be my own defense. However, we shall start from the beginning," **_she said in forewarning.

Thoulux's memories began, as most xenomorphs' did, with the compelling desire to break free and tear away from a fleshy prison. This memory in particular was entirely common and normal until she realized the location of its occurrence. The walls surrounding his birth were made of cold metal bathed in the harsh white light typical of a human structure, not the stone and chitin of a xenomorph hive. The memories that followed consisted of about two years of the sick routine of captivity and several failed attempts at escape. She was disgusted by the situation, but was pleased by the fact that he had at least made a strong effort to free himself. Aside from that, she did not judge him by his upbringing, if it could be called that; there was nothing he could have done about the situation he was born into, so she couldn't blame him for it.

What interested her most were the things that he learned about the humans, especially his rough understanding of their spoken language, and the fact that his queen had been entirely absent from his life for the duration of his captivity. The queen was impressed at his normality, given that he had nothing but his hive memories to educate him about what normal life meant for a xenomorph. Eventually, she came upon the memory of his escape and, subsequently, his less than smooth meeting with Verexa. She was surprised that they had not killed each other but instead proceeded to become close friends so quickly. She watched as together they fought and slayed a strange mutated humanoid creature, which she was completely unfamiliar with. They then traveled back to the human facility, in which Thoulux had been born, in search of his kin. Even the queen herself felt some dread at the horrors that followed, though their prowess in fighting together did not go unnoticed as she watched them kill many of the humans and mutants that infested the place.

Then came his memories of his mother's death: first, the conflict with the so called "Zealot." She mentally scoffed at the designation itself; as far as she was concerned, only queens should be named by titles. The Zealot itself baffled her, however. It was certainly a xenomorph, but it was different, perhaps mutated in a similar way to the humans. She watched as Thoulux slowly succumbed to the influence of his queen amplified through his sibling's own enslaved mind. His power of will certainly showed, for he was still capable of helping Verexa to kill his abomination of a sibling. His fratricidal actions were noted, but she understood their necessity.

Next, came his vain struggle against The Scourge Queen's mind. She forced him toward Her chamber and used his new proximity to further establish Her manipulation of him until She had direct control of his thoughts and actions. _**Deplorable. She was that weak willed? **_The Empress thought to herself, though Thoulux may have heard her as she currently occupied his consciousness. So focused on controlling Her lost son and restrained in metal clasps, Thoulux's mother had been unable to defend Herself as Verexa's quick thinking led to Her demise. The Empress was entirely taken aback as she watched the memory of Verexa driving her tail deep into the queen's brain and ending Her life. Verexa was a queen killer, a fact that could not be ignored.

_ "My queen, please! It had to be done!" _Thoulux declared.

For the moment, she ignored him and continued to sift through his memories. She saw his second escape from The Citadel, their decision to seek refuge elsewhere but remain together, their time spent in the rain, and ending with the short lived conflict with her children that had led them to where they were at the present. Satisfied that she had sufficiently familiarized herself with his life's story, she began to ponder the most important part to her: his queen's death.

He hadn't truly failed to save Her. In fact, She had been using him as a vessel to defend Herself with and had failed in doing so. What truly mattered was the fact that the sentry whom she had also invited into her hive had committed regicide. The Empress could feel Thoulux's most personal thoughts and fears for his companion. She took a moment to consider the circumstances, and began her explanation.

"_**Thoulux, I am sorry that you were forced to develop in human captivity and without the **__**guidance of a queen. Even more so, I am sorry that upon finally being reunited with your mother, She proved to be a tyrant. It's a sad truth that all xenomorph queens maintain the ability to enslave and control the free will of their children; it is a barbaric trait left over from the darker times of our evolution when it was much more necessary. Since then, we have adapted to be a more civil species. However, it is an unfortunate truth that some of my peers still choose this method of commanding their hives. Now, Verexa's actions are indeed disturbing to me for obvious reasons. However, tyranny such as your mother's is a sign of weakness, and I personally find it disgusting. The world is well rid of Her. Nevertheless, upon entering Verexa's mind, I will search quite thoroughly for any signs of malevolent intent toward myself or my hive. Should I find any at all, the consequences will be her immediate execution. You **_**will not **_**make any attempt to warn her so that she may try to hide her intentions from me. I am your only queen now, and you must obey my command. Do you understand, child?" **_she finished her long-winded speech. Her mental voice was calm, professional, and powerful.

Thoulux took the information she had given him in stride. He was massively thankful for her explanation of the events regarding his mother, and this revelation did well to increase his trust in The Empress herself. Most importantly, he felt relief that she accepted Verexa's actions at least to some degree. _"I understand completely, respected queen. I assure you that you will find no trace of malevolence in her mind. In fact, you will see only her dedication and enthusiasm toward serving your regime." _he replied with absolute confidence and conviction.

The Empress was impressed by his response but maintained her skepticism. _**"We shall see. Are there any uncertainties you wish to clarify? Anything else you wish to say?"**_

_"Only that my birth queen is hardly even considered a mother by me. I sincerely hope that in time you will become the mother that I never had, if that is not asking too much." _

_**"I see that as being a very likely possibility, my child. Welcome to the hive."**_

…

The Empress's great mind suddenly withdrew from Thoulux's brain, and he returned to reality with quite a shock. He found himself prone on the chamber floor, breathing deeply. Verexa crouched beside him, gently stroking his flank. _"Thoulux? Are you well, Love?" _she asked softly. Thankfully, it appeared that their private telepathic link was still maintained.

_"Yes," _the warrior replied, still breathing hard. He wished he had said something less cordial, but the fact of the matter was that he felt mentally exhausted. Slowly, he regained his strength and pushed himself into a sitting position in front of Verexa. He took her hands into his and focused his mind toward hers. _"My love, everything will be fine. Do not struggle against it and hide nothing." _he said, careful not to go against his new queen's orders of not warning her. Besides, he was sure that his confidence was well placed. He got to his knees to allow him to embrace her. She eagerly reciprocated the gesture. _"I love you dearly."_ he said with as much warmth as he could.

_"I love you as well." _the sentry said in return.

They continued to hold each other tight. Before long, Verexa's body went limp as the queen's mind overwhelmed hers. In her trance-like state, her arms fell from around Thoulux's back to her sides, and she slumped backward slightly in his hold. With extreme care, he eased her body backward and gently laid her entranced form on her back, slightly propped up by her dorsal tubes. He straightened her body a bit so that she laid more neatly, and then sat back and patiently waited for his companion to return to him.

…

Verexa felt her mind being intruded upon forcefully and without warning by the queen's very consciousness. Immediately The Empress began probing her mind, searching for what, the sentry didn't know. Whatever it was, the queen explored Verexa's brain, her thoughts, and her memories for it with great precision and thoroughness. Eventually, she stopped and said, _**"I have searched your entire consciousness for signs of ill will toward myself or my regime. Fortunately for you, I found none. You see, I am aware that you are the murderess of Thoulux's queen."**_

_"With respect, hopefully you are also aware of the situation that caused that to happen?" _Verexa responded, a hint of nervousness in her mental voice.

_**"Yes, and I approve... reluctantly. Speaking objectively, you may have spared me a genocide war. However, it is clearly important that I checked to ensure that you have no such intentions of assassinating me as well. As I said, I searched your mind and found no malevolence in you. Instead I found that you had an excellent relationship with your own mother early in your life and that you are quite thrilled at the opportunity to have something akin to that old life back. You should note that Thoulux suggested that I would find exactly that in your mind, even before I believed it myself. In short, I do not condemn your actions, but I strongly suggest you leave them in the past, not only for my sake but for that of your friend; he may thank you for it, but regardless of the rationale, you **_**did **_**murder his birth queen."**_

_"Trust me when I say, honored queen, that I have no desire to relive that moment even in thought or conversation," _Verexa replied.

With that, the queen assimilated the sentry into the hive mind while sifting through her memories prior to meeting Thoulux. It appeared that Verexa had a very normal upbringing, and her mother was very similar to The Empress herself, although her hive was significantly smaller than this one. She was mostly interested in discovering how the sentry's mother died. The memory that clarified this question was a rather sad one, as she found that Verexa's old queen had been a casualty to the collateral damage of the humans' self-destructive war along with all of her children aside from Verexa in one unfortunate event. Indeed, there was nothing the sentry could have done; she had merely been lucky enough to be away when it happened. The queen sent Verexa her soothing condolences directly to her mind, and she felt her appreciation for it.

Suddenly she felt a small resistance from Verexa's assimilation process. It appeared much too small to be the sentry intentionally fighting it, but it piqued the queen's interest nevertheless. She found the problem in that her mind was subconsciously refusing to acknowledge The Empress wholeheartedly as her new queen. _**"Verexa, my dear, in order to become one with my hive, you must view me as your one and only queen. I understand that you have unending love for your birth mother – as is natural for our species – and I would never ask you to renounce her spitefully. However, your logical mind and your conscience must agree that I am now the one that you swear allegiance to," **_she said.

Verexa hesitated. She thought back on the recent times that her mother had spoken with her in her dreams, unsure if it had really been her queen's spirit living on within her or just her mind making things up. The fact that her mother had predicted an upcoming decision that would change Verexa's life forever, as well as whether or not she would speak to her again in that way, seemed to confirm the former. _I know you will decide correctly, _she remembered her saying. She contemplated for just a moment longer before making her decision.

_"Yes, my queen, you have my full allegiance," _she said with conviction. With that, she felt herself become one with the hive consensus. She also felt the last essence of her mother pass away with gratitude. Something that she couldn't quite identify told her that her decision was indeed sound.

_**"I recognize what you've sacrificed in giving your allegiance to me, Verexa, whether you understand it or not. Please know that I welcome you into my regime with open arms." **_the queen said reassuringly.

_"Thank you, my queen. I hope that eventually you will fulfill the gap that my birth mother once filled," _the sentry said.

_**"Indeed, my child," **_the queen said, as she explored a few more of Verexa's memories. She took note of the sentry's feelings for Thoulux and remembered how they had been reflected in his mind. _**"Before I release your mind, child, there is one last thing I would like to tell you. You may have noticed that males are vastly outnumbered by females in this hive due to a simple coincidence in birthrates of each gender. Therefore, males are something of a commodity, and if you seek Thoulux as your mate, you may wish to ask him to bond with you yourself instead of waiting for him to do so to you. I'm afraid your new sisters will waste little time in trying to court him."**_

_"I greatly appreciate your advice, Empress, but I trust Thoulux to ask me himself when he is ready, and I would not wish to offend him by taking that from him by asking myself," _she replied.

_**"I commend your traditional sense, but keep in mind that the circumstances of the world today change things greatly. Take care, my newest child. That will be all." **_

…

Verexa let out something akin to a dull groan and then took very deep breath. She found herself lying on her back – or as close to it as a xenomorph could – with her hands folded neatly over her stomach and her tail straight against the side of her right leg. Thoulux sat cross-legged right next to her. She tried to reach her hand toward him, but it felt as though gravity had increased ten fold since she had entered her trance with the queen. While her strength was still returning to her, Thoulux took a knee and proceeded to gently place one arm behind her knees and the other under her arms, behind her back, and between her upper and lower dorsal tubes. He then gingerly lifted her off the ground with ease. It was strange at first, but she recognized it as a kind gesture and allowed him to carry her. _"Thank you," _she said softly with her tired mind.

_"You are most welcome," _the warrior responded warmly.

_**"Again, I welcome both of you to my hive as permanent and respected members and as my children, if that is what you wish. Your new brothers and sisters will welcome you as well. They are your peers, and they shall show you as much respect as you show them. Go now. A warrior by the **__**name of Orren will meet you. He is eager to make your acquaintance and he shall show you the hive structure and orient you with your tasks for the day," **_The Empress said authoritatively.

_"Yes, Mother," _they both replied in unison, albeit Verexa's mental voice was still slightly weak.

With that, Thoulux turned and left the queen's chambers with his companion still nestled in his arms. They had just arrived at the nearest intersection when Verexa said, _"I think I can carry my own weight now, my love."_

Thoulux immediately set her on her feet gently. She was still a bit unsteady and used his shoulder for support. Just before they were ready to move on, a xenomorph warrior entered the intersection from the small tunnel above and landed carefully a couple meters in front of the pair. Thoulux resisted the urge to step in front of Verexa to defend her; he and this new warrior were now brothers, after all, so there should be no trouble here. _"Ah, you must be Orren, correct?" _he said after quickly regaining his composure and hoping that their hive link worked.

_"That is correct, and the two of you must be my newest brother and sister. Very pleased to meet you both," _Orren said with sincerity in his mental voice.

_"Likewise," _Verexa responded politely. She sized the warrior up. Like the rest of the xenomorphs from this hive, he seemed neither as well built as Thoulux nor as tall, but he was clearly still a strong warrior. Of course, Orren didn't have the same mark on the front of his right shoulder that Thoulux had; a birth mark of sorts that Verexa would have identified as red if she saw color in the same way humans did. She thought back fondly on the memory of finding it while they rested before traveling to The Citadel. He had never even noticed it before on his own body.

_"If you'd like, I will take you around the hive to show you the various locations." _Orren offered.

_"Yes, please do, Brother." _Thoulux replied.

Orren turned to lead the way on the grand tour, so to speak. With Thoulux and Verexa in tow, he navigated the dark tunnels and corridors at a leisurely pace. In some of the main corridors, they noticed more of the small water tracks on either side of the path. The water was flowing at a noticeably slower rate, but it continued to trickle down hill. _"We're on our way to the upper water catch reservoir. With the recent rain, it has been filled, and the water is running down toward our primary water supply."_

_ "That's astounding; we had nothing of the kind in my old hive," _Verexa commented.

_"Mother may or may not have told you that we are a very progress driven hive. We do not seek the vices of advanced technology, which has plagued the humans through their own fault. However, The Empress encourages us to use our unrestricted thought to improve our way of life whenever we can. We've built our hive accordingly, as you'll soon see." _Orren said.

They continued upward through the inclining tunnels. As they did so, the air became noticeably warmer and an air current could occasionally be felt. Along the way, they passed several small gaps in the walls, which were about a meter wide, half a meter tall, and seven or so meters apart from each other. Each gap lead to a small, round compartment about six meters in diameter and two meters tall.

_"These are our nests. Mates or individuals usually claim one as their permanent place to rest after their tasks are done for the day." _Orren explained.

Verexa peered into one at random and saw three xenomorphs sound asleep together. She noted that one was male and the other two were females. She found this sleeping arrangement very strange. Perhaps one of the females was mated to the male, but why would they share their nest with another female? Realization suddenly hit her. _Do they accept multiple mates? _The concept was totally alien to her, and rather disgusting as well. However, she shoved such thoughts aside for a later time and went to catch up with Thoulux and Orren.

The air current increased considerably as they walked up another incline and approached the end of the tunnel, which was more or less a large hole in the hive's wall. Hot air from within the hive seemed to be flowing out of the tunnel into the open atmosphere, and Thoulux and Verexa realized that the tunnel also doubled as an outlet vent. _"This is one of several such outlets. It's part of the hive's ventilation system. The water reservoirs help cool or heat the air as needed, causing a constant air current, which these tunnels facilitate while also allowing us to move throughout the hive. It took an __immense effort to plan, construct, and improve this system, but we are all very proud of it," _Orren explained with enthusiasm.

_"Very impressive," _Thoulux replied genuinely.

Then, Orren approached the end of the tunnel, reached around to the exterior shell of the hive superstructure, and proceeded to climb out onto the outside of the hive. Thoulux and Verexa soon followed. They came out near the top of the massive dome. There were several similar vents and tunnels here and there all over the hive's surface. Also, closer to the dome's apex, there were dozens, maybe hundreds, of chitinous tubes and an equal number of water catches. As the trio of xenomorphs climbed to the nearly flat top of the dome, they could see that all of the tubes led from the water catches toward one point at which they combined over a hand-sized hole at the bottom of a shallow depression in the hard, black surface of the hive's very apex. It was an extremely intricate design.

_"This is the only reason we are able to sustain the thirst of every member of the hive. Each water catch is highly efficient, and allows rain water to flow into the inlet port. Below that, there are the two compartments of the upper reservoir. The initial and smaller of the two remains full to help the ventilation system maintain the hive's air temperature. After it overflows, the water spills into the larger compartment, which has a small hole through which the water flows downward through the several water tracks. These tracks lead to the main collection reservoir at the very bottom of the hive, which is also part of the temperature control. Thankfully, it has been decades since the drinking pool was dry. After the storm yesterday, we will have enough water to last us for nearly half a year." _Orren stated as a matter of fact.

_"Excellent. Water seems to be the most precious resource in this wasteland," _Thoulux said.

_"Indeed. However, prey is also disappointingly scarce in this day and age. Speaking of which, Verexa, Mother has requested that you integrate into a small hunting party later today. I will show you to the meeting place at the end of this humble introduction to the hive itself." _Orren said.

Thoulux was certainly a bit disappointed at the prospect of being separated for her, but he understood that their new oath to the hive demanded it. _"And what will be my task for the day?" _he asked.

_"The Empress wishes for you to assist in the refurbishing effort of one of the older sections of the hive. You will be working under the direction of a warrior by the name of Qarinna. I will introduce you to her after Verexa has joined her hunting party." _Orren replied and then led them back toward the interior of the hive.

_"I don't like that they have decided to separate us so soon, but I know that we do not have a choice. We will meet again directly after our duties are finished, yes?" _Verexa said via her private link to Thoulux. The faintest hint of anxiety was present in her mental voice.

_"Absolutely, my dear Verexa," _Thoulux responded, already looking forward to it.

At that, Verexa smiled inwardly as well as letting a small physical smile grace her lips. They followed Orren back inside the hive. He led them down a few levels before coming near the end of another vent tunnel; this one had significantly less air flow and the air itself was a rather comfortable temperature. The small entrances to several nests lined the walls on either side. _"When Mother linked with your minds, she noted that the two of you have an affinity of sorts for the sun. This tunnel faces the same direction in which Sol sets each evening. Therefore, she instructed me to offer you these nests here," _Orren said, indicating the two nests across from each other that were closest to the end of the tunnel. Verexa tilted her head away slightly, and she and Thoulux were both thinking the same thing. Neither voiced it, but thankfully, Orren continued. _"If you would prefer to nest together, that could also be arranged." _

_ "Ah... thank you." _Verexa said, relief and a small bit of awkwardness lacing her voice.

Before she could ask his consent, Thoulux beat her to the question. _"Would you like to share a nest?" _he asked.

_"Of course," _she replied happily. To his credit, he did not seem surprised at all by her answer.

_"Yes, we would rather nest together," _Thoulux said to the other warrior.

_"Very well," _Orren responded kind-heartedly, indicating that he understood. _"Just know that it is difficult for nesting arrangements to be changed, should the need arise to do so._

_"All the more reason for she and I to be nested together to begin with." _Thoulux said confidently.

Verexa beamed at this. There was great significance in what her companion had just said. She made a mental effort to commit those words to memory. Just then, a female drone exited one of the nests a few meters behind them.

_"Ah, Orren! How it pleases me to see you here, my mate," _she said warmly as she stepped toward the trio.

_"Good morning, my love. Allow me to introduce you to our newest brother and sister, Thoulux and Verexa. They lost their queens, and have sworn allegiance to Mother in return for a new life," _he said, wrapping his mate in a warm embrace once she reached him. _"Verexa, Thoulux, this is my only lifemate, Trynia."_

_ "It is nice to make your acquaintance," _Thoulux said politely.

_"Pleased to meet you," _said Verexa in a similar tone. However, she noted that Orren said "only lifemate." _Only? As opposed to one of multiple? _she wondered to herself. It did seem to be further evidence on her theory that this hive allowed for multiple mates. That thought bothered her, and she had to stifle a shiver.

_"Likewise, and welcome to our hive!" _Trynia said pleasantly, then to Orren specifically, _"I suppose I'll find something to eat. It doesn't seem that The Empress has any work for me today, but I'm sure that the Praetorian Guard will be making his rounds. If he has no tasks for me either, perhaps you'd like to meet with me after yours are complete?"_

_ "Certainly. In fact, I was about to show them the fresh kill room and the main drinking reservoir, so you could join us on our way if you'd like."_

_ "Of course, Lifemate," _the drone answered happily.

With that, Orren led the way down several more levels. Eventually, Thoulux became aware that they were now, in fact, under ground. Indeed, there were patches of wall made simply out of the compacted sandstone of what might once have been a shallow ravine or cave, instead of black chitinous resin. The air was much cooler here than anywhere they had been previously. Soon, the group arrived in a relatively large room with several other xenomorphs going about their business. The room contained three piles. The first, as Orren explained, was the reserve food pile. A large circle was carved into the solid ground beneath the reserve pile. Here, all fresh kills from the hunting parties would be placed, and then slightly older meat could be moved to the second pile to keep it from spoiling, but the reserve pile must never be allowed to become smaller than the circle beneath it outside of an emergency shortage. The second pile was significantly smaller, and food for consumption could only be taken at any time from this pile. The third pile was a midden containing the bones and other inedible parts of prey, and it was spaced farther away from the other two.

After giving Orren another hug and saying her temporary farewells, Trynia left the group to go secure a meal for herself. Orren continued to lead the other two xenomorphs toward a massive pool of water at the very bottom of the hive. Water from the recent storm still poured into the reservoir from above, and a clever design of the chamber's structure caused air current to circulate through it and onward throughout the hive.

_"We are actually well ahead of schedule, but I've shown you the most important parts of the hive. There are several meeting chambers, but I am sure that the two of you will acquaint yourselves with those just fine. Nevertheless, I will take the two of you to one such chamber, as that is where Verexa will be meeting her hunting party later today." _Orren said.

They followed him through a series of corridors until they eventually arrived at the meeting chamber. As its name suggested there would be, several small groups of xenomorphs stood or sat together either waiting for the rest of their party, eating, or simply enjoying some lounge time in the large, elongated room.

_"Here we are. Verexa, your fellow hunters should join you shortly. Until then, you may wait here or find something to eat. Thoulux and I are on our way toward the section of the hive under refurbishment," _Orren said.

_"Thank you," _she responded. Before the two warriors went on their way, Verexa wrapped her arms around Thoulux and he happily returned her embrace in much the same way that Orren and Trynia had. _"I will see you soon," _she said softly. Thoulux didn't reply, but his emotions conveyed that he was happy at the thought of seeing her again, albeit slightly reluctant to temporarily part ways from her in the first place.

With one last gentle yet firm squeeze, they released one another, and Orren once again led the way onward, leaving Verexa to herself.

…

The two warriors continued side by side, making idle conversation along the way. Orren had explained a few more of the various progressive endeavors that the member of the hive were pursuing, including a form of written language. Thoulux found each concept strange yet interesting. There was a short lull in the conversation before Thoulux changed the subject.

_ "You have a fine mate, my friend, and you certainly seem deserving of her and capable of keeping her safe and well," _he said respectfully.

_"Thank you. Trynia and I were just recently bonded, and I feel quite safe in saying that I've found my intended mate. She is perfect for me, and I have no desire to take another mate so long as I live. Perhaps that's somewhat selfish of me, for the ratio of females to males in our hive is far too great to sustain a traditional single mate system. However, I would not change anything about my current relationship, especially not by forcing my Trynia to sleep alongside another female." _he said, his mental voice reflecting his pride in his decision.

The thought of having more than one mate was foreign to Thoulux; it hadn't even entered his mind before. It also didn't quite seem right, and he found himself agreeing with Orren. _"Congratulations, but... our siblings accept multiple bondings?" _he asked for clarification.

_"Yes, most of us do. It's an unfortunate necessity given our predicament with unequal numbers among each gender."_

_ "I see..."_

_ "But enough about that. I noticed that you and Verexa seem to be very compatible mates as well." _

Thoulux was flattered, but was slightly taken aback and unsure of what to say. _"Thank you, but she and I aren't officially bonded... er, yet," _he finally stated.

_"Ah, then I hope you realize that as a member of our hive, it is your right to request for The Empress to bond the two of you; when you're ready, of course. However, Verexa is certainly a fine individual, and she will likely be well sought after. Simply because there are few males in the hive does not mean that she will find any trouble finding someone else to be her mate. In other words, do not squander your head start." _Orren replied supportively.

_"I appreciate your advice," _Thoulux said genuinely.

_"You are most welcome, friend," _Orren replied just as they reached their destination. There were several xenomorphs milling about, tearing decayed chunks of chitinous resin away, carrying said chunks elsewhere, or excreting new resin via their mouths. Before long, a female warrior, who seemed to be directing the others, noticed the newcomers and approached them. _"I'll now leave you in the capable hands of Qarinna. If you need anything, you can always call for me through the hive-link." _Orren stated, but before he could turn to leave, Qarinna called out to him.

_"Orren, perhaps you would lend a helping hand?" _she asked.

_"Usually, I would be glad to, but I've completed my tasks given to me by The Empress for today, and now I would like to tend to my mate," _he asserted.

_"Fair enough. Do enjoy yourself, and give Trynia my regards," _Qarinna replied with the slightest twinge of disappointment. Orren acknowledged her request cordially and then took his leave. The female warrior then turned her attention to Thoulux. _"You must be one of the hive's newest members, Thoulux, is it? I am Qarinna, and I'm delighted to meet you," _she said kindly. Thoulux noted that her mental voice suggested that she was older than him, although it still sounded youthful. She offered her hand to him in greeting, holding it vertically palm open.

_"Likewise," _he said professionally. He placed his hand against hers, palm to palm, but left the gesture at that. After all, they had just met. _"Please show me where to begin."_

_ "Straight to work, I see. Very well. Our goal is to refurbish and reinforce an entire section. It is one of the oldest sections of the hive, and the chitin has deteriorated over time. The task is simple, yet time consuming. You may begin by chipping the resin off of that wall over th-" _Qarinna's instructions were cut short as a massive xenomorph approached, carrying a large chunk of resin with ease. He was clearly a praetorian class, standing at nearly twice Thoulux's height with a wide, ornate crest upon his head. He was an exemplary specimen, even for a praetorian; his limbs and core rippled with well honed muscles, and his powerful tail ended in a wicked looking double-blade. Thoulux noticed that the chunk of chitin that the praetorian had carried so easily was probably twice as heavy as Thoulux himself. The praetorian set the heavy chunk down and spoke to Qarinna.

_"Your progress thus far has been outstanding, Qarinna. I decided I would do what I can to assist as I passed through." _he said aloud in an impossibly deep mental voice.

_"It is very much appreciated, Sire." _she replied very respectfully before facing the warrior next to her. _"Thoulux, this is Donterus, the hive's Praetorian Guard as well as the primary mate to our queen." _

Donterus took a step toward Thoulux, placing his imposing figure hardly more than a couple meters in front of him. _"Ah yes, our newest addition. Allow me to personally welcome you to the hive..."_

**Author's Note:**** Again, I apologize for the long wait; my new job obviously has me quite busy. Anyways, I really feel like I've out done myself with this chapter. I know that it might not be overly exciting with the lack of action, but I personally like how well the dialogue came out and it sets up a lot of key events yet to come. That said, this chapter has twice the length, twice the description, and only half of the progress that I originally planned for it. Therefore, I plan to publish the next chapter much sooner than it took for this one, and ought to move the story along and introduce (or at least foreshadow) the next big conflict. What has Phoenix been up to lately? Anyways, if all the talk and description is starting to bore you, hopefully the next few chapters will pique your interest. If I were to give a wild guess, I'd say that there are 5 or 6 more chapters yet to come, maybe more, maybe less.**

**It should be noted that I find incest just as gross as any of you do. However, xenomorphs are (obviously) extremely different from us, and therefore it's accepted as the norm. That's all I'm going to say on that.**

**As always, thank you all so much for reading, and please review and PM me about the story so far.**

**I do not own anything in this story except the plot and characters.**


	11. Chapter 11- Phoenix Rising

**Alien: Post-Apocalypse**

Chapter 11: Phoenix Rising

The Director sat in a dark room with several screens, interfaces, microphones, and other electronics surrounding him so that he could control his entire organization from the security of his reinforced control room deep underground in a classified location. One of the monitors before him displayed a conference room occupied by the three generals of Phoenix's military branch, while another displayed the highlight footage from The Citadel replaying for perhaps the dozenth time. The Director couldn't help but scoff at what he saw. The Project Defense Sect, Phoenix's private military, was easily the most well funded aspect of the organization due to Phoenix's militaristic doctrine. With that in mind, he couldn't understand how the whole operation had ended in such a colossal failure.

He placed a finger over the small button at the base of the microphone in front of him, allowing him to speak directly to his generals within the conference room via audio speakers mounted on the walls. "Gentlemen, please explain to me how you managed to fail at reclaiming my organizations most important research facility," he began, though his tone of voice contradicted his calm and professional choice of words.

The response came through the speakers beneath the screen showing the conference room. "You've seen the recordings, but I suppose I shouldn't expect a _civilian _to understand the logistics of what happened," said General Harver. Quickly, General Willschmitt butted in.

"Sir, what my colleague is trying to say is that the radioactivity within The Citadel will make in uninhabitable for the next several thousand years, so it wouldn't have mattered if we had reclaimed it or not," he said in a much more composed tone than that of General Harver.

"Don't insult my intelligence. I'm well aware of how radiation works. However, I suppose I shouldn't expect a _ General _to understand that our research and development teams have already devised several methods of purging radiation," The Director said mockingly. "Also, I realize that this ordeal cost you a son, General Harver, but the next time you speak out of line to me like that, you'll find yourself inheriting his rank."

"Understood," Harver said begrudgingly.

"Good. Now, explain to me how your men managed to get themselves slaughtered on a simple sweep and secure mission," said The Director, not caring how harsh he might have sounded.

The third general, General Pierce, answered for his peers. "I regret to report that the failure was due to unforeseeable circumstances as well as gross incompetence of the soldiers themselves."

"I see. And what of Captain Carlson and his men who survived?" asked The Director.

"They're all being treated for radiation poisoning, as well as sickness induced by chemicals that the medical staff aren't even familiar with. Should he recover, Captain Carlson will being facing demotion and perhaps even a court martial for dereliction of duty." replied Willschmitt.

The Director took a moment to consider all of the information and use it to form a plan of action. "No matter. Phoenix is still quite capable of recovering from this stronger than ever; as is our nature. Here is what you are going to do: send the rest of the battalion from which Carlson's company was detached from, along with technicians and proper radiation purging equipment, and ensure that they finish what Carlson and his men started. I want The Citadel operational again in a week's time. Furthermore, the alien species that was being researched at The Citadel is extremely valuable to the organization. Unfortunately, all specimens either died or escaped. However, we know that, before the war, there was a brief infestation of these creatures, and several of their hives were present in the region. Organize and dispatch a group of flight teams to scan the area for one of their hives. Once one has been located I want a task group of special forces to infiltrate it and secure as many new specimens as possible, unharmed. Is all of that understood?"

"Yes, sir," the three generals responded in unison.

"For your sakes, you had better hope it is. None of you are as irreplaceable as you may think," The Director finished before cutting the electronic link. He then turned in his large U shaped desk to face yet another screen. From the screen, he read the most recent report from the research facility containing Captain Carlson and his men. The Director was very interested in what had caused the strange mutation of the civilians in The Citadel as well as its possible uses. He allowed himself a sinister grin at the notion that he had properly deceived the generals into thinking that the soldiers were under medical care when they were in fact test subjects now.

_No need for them to know that. All I have to do now is have the researchers send them a false report saying that they all succumbed to the radiation poisoning, _he thought to himself. He touched the screen, initiating a video recording of one of the subjects who had already began the process of mutation. The man convulsed and thrashed about in his restraints while screaming in an almost feral manner. _Interesting..._

…

As The Praetorian Guard stepped in front of him, Thoulux was unsure of how he should respond. _"Ah yes, our newest addition. Allow me to personally welcome you to the hive," _Donterus said powerfully. To Thoulux's credit, he stood firm and showed no signs of intimidation as his gaze turned upward to meet that of the praetorian before him. He then boldly took a step toward Donterus and held out his hand in greeting the same way Qarinna had done to him.

_"I am pleased to serve the hive in repayment, honored praetorian," _he said with as much confidence as he could muster.

The Praetorian Guard paused for only a brief moment, slightly surprised by Thoulux's actions. He then placed his much larger palm against Thoulux's with almost enough force to push to warrior back but not quite. _"Intrepid yet respectful." _he observed aloud before lowering his hand back to his side. The praetorian took a moment to size Thoulux up before stating, _"I believe you will make a fine addition to the hive's warriors." _Without saying another word, he turned to pick up the massive chunk of resin he had been carrying and strode out of the chamber, causing a slight vibration in the ground with each step.

_"You've done well; Donterus is not easily impressed. You especially did well to show confidence in his presence. He has been known to maul cowards," _said Qarinna, her mental voice making it clear that she herself was impressed as well.

_"Duly noted" _Thoulux replied.

_"Now, as I was saying, you will begin by assisting our siblings with removing the resin on that wall over there," _said the female warrior, gesturing toward in the direction of the wall she was referring to.

Thoulux acknowledged Qarinna's instructions before making his way to the chitinous surface. He noticed that the other xenomorphs were using their tails and claws to crack the resin and tear it away. Others would come and carry the decayed resin away while still others would follow behind those destroying the old chitin to replace it with new resin, which quickly hardened to maintain the wall's structural sufficiency. Thoulux took his place among his new siblings and swung his tail into the brittle surface. To his relief, the old resin cracked apart as the tip of his tail drilled into the wall. As he pulled his blade free, he reached his hands into the center of the spider web of cracks and tore several loose chunks away.

_Well, that was simple, _he thought. But the scale of such an undertaking struck him as he realized just how much surface area he and the dozen or so other xenomorphs working along side him had to cover. He gave a low sigh of resignation before continuing to work. As he continued his monotonous task, he let his mind wonder. His thoughts seemed to naturally revert to Verexa. _I hope she is fairing well, _he thought. Just then, through a pleasant coincidence, her sweet voice entered his mind.

…

Standing in the same spot that she had been standing for some time now, Verexa couldn't quite decide what to do with herself. She was still well ahead of schedule, and it didn't seem that anyone from her assigned hunting party was present yet. Feeling a bit out of place, she reached out to Thoulux telepathically. She was very pleased to find that she could still speak with him despite the fact that he was nearly on the opposite end of the hive. _"I miss you already. I wish I could spend time with you while I wait, but I understand that you are busy," _she said.

_"I miss you as well, and I am eagerly looking forward to our rest hours. Perhaps you could make some friends while you hunt?" _he suggested kindly.

_"I suppose you're right; it would certainly help to make us more welcome amongst our new siblings." _she replied.

_"Agreed. I hope all goes well for you and that your hunt is very fruitful. I will see you as soon as we've completed our respective tasks for the day. I love you," _Thoulux said warmly.

_"I love you too, and I'm looking forward to seeing you again as well. Take care, my love." _And with that, their mental conversation ended all too soon. Verexa then began searching for something to do while she waited. She wasn't particularly hungry, and she obviously didn't have any acquaintances yet, so she decided to take Thoulux's advice. It was then that she noticed the only other lone xenomorph in the chamber sitting neatly near the back corner of the room with a cut of meat in her hands. A trio of drones passed to Verexa's right, and she stopped one of them.

_"Pardon me, who is that in the corner, and why is she alone?" _she inquired. The drone she was speaking to happened to be the only male out of the three. In fact, she noted that out of the dozens of xenomorphs in the room only seven were male.

The drone directed his focus toward the xenomorph in question and then turned back to Verexa. _"Ah, her name is Nelasier. She's a proud member of the hive and one of our best huntresses. However, she is telepathically mute – well, mostly. She can project emotions and feelings, like any other xenomorph, but she is simply without a mental voice. She keeps to herself for obvious reasons. __Nevertheless, she does her best to compensate her lack of speech through physical gestures when necessary." _he said matter-of-factly.

Verexa was shocked. She had never heard of such a thing. _"I don't quite understand. How is that possible?" _she said.

_"No one is quite sure, not even The Empress. Since she was born, she simply has never spoken. Perhaps she just doesn't wish to do so," _he replied.

Still trying to clear her surprise at this revelation, she said, _"Would she object to my company?"_

_ "I doubt it, so long as you don't seek to ridicule her. She is good-natured despite her condition."_

_ "Thank you," _Verexa finished politely. With that, the drone turned to catch up with the other two drones he had been with.

Verexa started to contemplate what it would be like to be unable to speak to anyone but stopped herself. On a whim, she decided that she would introduce herself while she waited on the rest of her hunting party. She crossed the long meeting chamber until she stood a couple meters in front of Nelasier, who was still sitting and nibbling on the small cut of meat held between her hands. Nelasier looked up to the stranger who had approached her.

A number a vestigial traits – both physical and psychological – often manifest themselves in xenomorphs from their human hosts, some more common than others. Such traits include having five fingers instead of the usual four, having only two joints on each leg at the knees and ankles, and, perhaps most common of all, the desire to find a mate despite the fact that all females aside from queens are infertile. However, the trait that Verexa first noticed in Nelasier was that she could clearly see the upper half of a humanoid skull underneath her semi-transparent carapace. The nose and eye sockets were empty, and the back of the beige bone fused seamlessly into the black chitin of the rest of her elongated skull. Verexa wasn't disturbed by this bodily feature as a human might be; she merely found such a rare trait interesting.

After a second or two of observation, Verexa sat in front of her and introduced herself. _"Hello, Nelasier. My name is Verexa," _she said, maintaining her polite tone.

Nelasier hesitated for only a short moment before taking the meat into one hand and using the other to gesture. She brought the tips of all four fingers on her free hand together, placed the tips of her fingers over her heart, and then extended her arm in a slow, upward arch, opening her hand palm up toward Verexa as she did so. All the while, Verexa could feel the emotions associated with a pleasant greeting emanating from her. The overall meaning was clear: 'I am pleased to meet you.' Then, Nelasier froze and began frantically searching for a way to explain her inability to speak to her new acquaintance, something that she had never found a good way of doing. Fortunately, her siblings all knew by now, and so did Verexa.

_"Please, Relax. I understand that you cannot speak. I would give you my sympathy, but something tells me that you don't want it." _Verexa said kindly.

Nelasier nodded her head up and down a couple times, which seemed to indicate yes, appreciation, or both. She then brought her tail blade up and used it to slice the piece of meat in half. Verexa noted that the blade was double edged, completely straight, and ended with two smaller blades branching off in a V shape, as opposed to her own standard curved blade. Nelasier now held two even pieces of meat in either hand and offered one to Verexa in a sharing gesture.

_"Thank you very much," _Verexa said as she accepted it gingerly and took a small bite even though she wasn't very hungry. It was actually a very choice cut of meat and was pleasantly juicy. _"I've been told that you're a very skilled huntress. One of the hive's best, in fact" _she continued.

Nelasier tilted and bowed her head slightly at the compliment. Her emotions reflected that she was flattered.

_"I've been tasked with hunting later today. Right now, I'm waiting on the rest of my party." _Verexa stated.

At that, Nelasier looked back at her, seemingly surprised. She placed her free hand over her chest and nodded her head twice. 'Me too.' It seemed that they belonged to the same hunting party for the day. There was an unmistakable aura of gladness about both of them at this revelation.

_"Excellent! I must say that I'm excited about hunting along side you. It's a good way to develop friendships, after all," _she replied sincerely.

A few minutes passed while they continued to chat and finish their slices of meat. During that time, Verexa got more accustom to Nelasier's way of communicating. It was certainly different, but it was merely a minor inconvenience at worst. Before long, a new group of four xenomorphs entered: a drone, two sentries, and one warrior. The warrior was the only male among them. One of the sentries, who was the leader of group and was well aged and experienced as evident by the numerous scars all over her jet black body, stepped ahead and called out, _"Nelasier and Verexa?" _Her mental voice was projected toward all within the meeting chamber. Nelasier quickly got to her feet and strode toward the rest of the hunting group, closely followed by Verexa. They crossed the chamber and stood in front of the sentry in charge.

_"Greetings. My name is Yulsira, as I'm sure that Nelasier has failed to introduce me to you, thanks to her disability," _the hunt leader said curtly. Nelasier hung her head slightly at this.

_"There is no need to be so harsh," _Verexa stated in her new friend's defense.

Yulsira stepped directly in front of Verexa so that she stood face to face with her, despite the fact that Verexa had a slight height advantage. _"Learn your place, cur! I did not have the privilege of choosing the group whom I hunt with; otherwise, I certainly would not have chosen a mute and an adopted traitor!" _she said scornfully.

It took every ounce of Verexa's self control to prevent her from personally giving Yulsira a few new scars. Verexa was no traitor to her birth queen, and the wretch standing in front of her had no right to speak of her or Nelasier in such a way. Nevertheless, she restrained herself, but did not give a response. To reinforce her decision, Nelasier cautiously placed a hand on Verexa's shoulder and shook her head side to side slightly, seemingly to discourage a retaliation.

Yulsira backed away slightly before saying, _"Now, without further sedition, we can get this hunt underway. Follow me." _With no further discussion, she took to all fours and sprinted into the nearest tunnel that lead to an exit to the hive with the other five xenomorphs under her direction right behind her.

As the group ran, Verexa did her best to memorize a mental map of the various tunnels they traversed. They passed several of their siblings along the way, and as the hunting party exited through one of several surface level entrances to the hive, she noticed a group of four enforcers standing guard. The heavily built xenomorphs were very similar to warriors but had much heavier exoskeletons and thick plated carapaces around their skulls, which featured a thick spike protruding from each of their foreheads. Their heavy build made it difficult for them to move at any appreciable speed, but they made an excellent secondary line of defense should an enemy ever breech the hive. Enforcers were also a fairly rare class of xenomorphs, and Verexa was impressed to see that such guards were posted at each of the surface level entrances; a testament to the hive's integrity and numbers.

After a while of travel time, the hunting party found themselves in a lively patch of land compared to the rest of the wastelands. Healthy desert grasses and even a few full grown trees – something that Verexa had not seen in quite some time – could be seen in all directions. The group came to a halt and Yulsira addressed them.

_"As always, our main source of prey will be coyotes and white-tailed deer, but if you find anything substantial enough to help feed the hive, kill it. Verexa and Nelasier, since the two of you seem so fond of each other, you will pair up to hunt," _she said with contempt clear in her mental voice. Regardless, they were both pleased with their assigned hunting partners. Indicating the other sentry present, Yulsira continued. _"Chyress, you and I shall hunt together," _she said. _"Silna, you will find a high vantage point and be prepared to cut off any prey that we give chase to." _she said to the drone. _"And finally, Fornuss, you will stand ready to bring down any larger prey, should any of us call for your assistance." _she said to the male warrior. _"The sun has reached its apex for the day, and when it __sets down on the horizon once again, you shall return to this very spot with or without any fresh kill, so that we may return to the hive" _she finished. And with that, the five huntresses took off, leaving the warrior to wait until he was needed.

…

Fornuss watched as the others departed to begin the hunt, but his focus primarily remained on one in particular. This new sentry from outside the hive – Verexa, as Yulsira had called her – particularly struck his fancy. He watched as her lithe body carried her gracefully alongside her hunting partner. Unbeknownst to her, he stood and admired her rather attractive form for as long as he could until she disappeared from view. Afterward, he thought back on the disagreement he had witnessed between Verexa and Yulsira, and he couldn't help but feel enticed by her fiery attitude. _Perhaps its high time that I claimed a new mate,_ Fornuss thought smugly to himself while trying to imagine a way to impress her.

…

Thoulux continued his toil for what seemed like days, when in reality it had hardly been a few hours. He was now going about the task of replacing the old chitin that he and his siblings had removed with new resin, which he excreted through his mouth. It was a very strange feeling at first, since he'd never done so before in his life, but it eventually became just another part of the routine. Again he let his mind wonder, and it immediately went to the recent memory of his brief conversation with Verexa before she left to hunt. He felt ashamed that he had cut the conversation short, but at the time, there was someone else trying to speak privately with him. He had assumed it was someone trying to give him new instructions about the task at hand and so he wrapped up his conversation with Verexa, fortunately without forgetting to wish her a good hunt and remind her of his love.

He had been frustrated to find out that it was not someone attempting to relay directions to him, but rather a young drone introducing herself to him. That was all well and good until the drone began to suggest, among other things, that she and Thoulux find a quiet place together after their work was done. He had promptly turned down her offer, perhaps a bit rudely, but that was none of his concern. He felt some pride at his loyalty toward Verexa, but he still felt bad that he had been unable to speak with her again, for she had already left to hunt and was beyond his telepathic range. _All the more reason to look forward to seeing her again, _he thought positively.

Taking a moment to step back and admire his handy work, Thoulux watched as the resin he had just placed quickly hardened into a nice, smooth surface to replace the decayed and cracked chitin. He had worked up a considerable thirst, but he couldn't remember the way back to to the drinking pool. Fortunately, he noticed that a couple of the xenomorphs he had been working along side with were gathered in front of the water tracks along the tunnel walls behind him. Upon approaching the water tracks himself, he found that the flow of water was indeed still steady enough to drink from. He leaned forward and began sating his thirst. Suddenly, a female warrior stood beside him and began to drink as well. Thoulux quickly recognized her as Qarinna. She drank in a few gulps before turning her attention toward him, and he also did the same.

_"Hello, Thoulux. I'm glad to say that I am very pleased with your hard work. I suppose that I'll allow you to be finished for the day by sundown; someone will be here to replace you for the night." _she said.

_"Excellent. I must admit that I will be happy to be relieved." _Thoulux replied.

_"Yes, I understand how you feel. I've decided to begin my rest hours at sunset as well. Perhaps you would like to join me to share a meal together? I would certainly like to get to know you better." _she invited in an almost sultry tone.

_Not this again, _Thoulux thought, thinking back to the drone who had made a similar request of him earlier. _"Maybe some other time. I have something else I had planned on attending to." _He responded evasively, realizing that 'someone' would have been a more accurate choice of words as opposed to 'something.'

_"Very well..." _Qarinna replied with a hint of disappointment in her mental voice. Returning to a more hopeful tone of voice, she continued. _"If we find mutual free time tomorrow, we could spend it together."_

_ "I would rather not," _Thoulux stated flatly.

Qarinna took a moment before speaking again, seemingly unsure of what to make of her quarry's reply. _"Your scent disagrees with your words; I can tell that you have not yet taken a mate, yet you are searching for one. Perhaps I could be your first." _she eventually said. There was still hope in her voice, along with no small amount of infatuation.

Thoulux took a deep breath and exhaled heavily in a sigh of frustration. Indeed, Qarinna would potentially make a fine mate for him, and her offer was very tempting. However, his thoughts returned to Verexa, her beauty, the growing relationship that they already shared, and the strong loyalty that he felt toward her as a result of what they had endured together. He also considered Orren's dedication toward his only mate and his own agreement with Orren's views. Bearing these things in mind, Thoulux made his decision.

_"I'm sorry, but I'm currently courting someone else, someone whom I feel very strongly for. I do not think it would be fair to her if I were to pursue a relationship with someone else as well as her. Verexa is the only one who holds my interest, and I'm asking you to respect that." _he said as politely as he could while still making his decision clear.

Qarinna was stunned by this, and she felt the sting of rejection in her heart. _Verexa? The sentry that accompanied him into the hive, no doubt, _she reasoned. _"I... I see. Well then... if, for any reason, the two of you are not-" _she began to say before Thoulux interrupted.

_"Qarinna, please. Do not press this situation any further," _he said firmly.

The female warrior turned her head slightly away from him with a feeling of shame. _"I'll just... leave you to your work then." _she said with resignation before walking away with her shoulders sagging.

Thoulux watched Qarinna sulk away, and he took a moment to think about what had just happened. Under different circumstances, he could certainly see Qarinna become a close friend of his, but her advance on him was unwelcome. Although he felt some guilt at rejecting her, he knew that he had made the right decision. He decided it was best to pay no further heed to it and get back to his previous task.

…

Verexa and Nelasier stalked through the tall desert grass and bushes with great stealth and agility. So far, they hadn't seen anything of adequate size to be considered prey, but they continued to search. Despite the lack of prey, Verexa couldn't help but enjoy the rush that came with hunting. Aside from hers and Thoulux's brief encounter with the small pack of coyotes, it had been quite some time since she had hunted along side a fellow xenomorph for the good of the hive. She was in her element and was eager to do her part to serve The Empress and her regime.

The pair of huntresses eventually came behind a line of bushes, and they silently came to a halt. Verexa's trans-visual senses allowed her to perceive the three deer on the opposite side of the bushes about twenty meters away, and it was a certainty that Nelasier was aware of them as well. She telepathically informed her partner that she was ready, but Nelasier shook her head in disagreement. Verexa was confused at first, but decided to focus her perception a bit more to get a closer look, so to speak. Upon doing so, she found that the trio of deer consisted of a fawn, a doe, and a buck. The fawn would provide hardly enough meat to make it worth killing, especially considering that it would grow up to have children of its own, thus helping to maintain the hive's food supply. The doe was considerably larger, but Verexa could tell that she was, in fact, pregnant at the moment. Again, it seemed best to spare her for the sake of maintaining the food supply. The buck, on the other hand, was a fine specimen, and was not valuable in the same way as the fawn or the doe. His flesh was definitely worth the most in the form of food.

_"I understand. No need to kill the mother or the child. That buck will do well to sustain the hive, though." _Verexa said. Nelasier gave a slight grin, revealing her silvery fangs, and nodded her head twice in agreement. With that, they both tensed their muscles in anticipation. In perfect unison, they two xenomorphs leaped over the bushes and sprinted toward the grazing deer. They were within five meters of the furred creatures before they even reacted. The doe took off in one direction, with the fawn doing its best to keep up, while the buck ran in another direction as both huntresses followed right on its tail. Once she was close enough, Nelasier gave a vicious hiss as she swiped her tail low, severing the lower half of one the buck's hind legs. The creature tumbled awkwardly to the ground, waling in pain and kicking its remaining three limbs. Verexa instantly pounced on top it and delivered the killing blow by sending her inner maw through its skull and retracting it, along with some of the deer's brain matter.

Nelasier now stood at Verexa's side, as the latter got up from the deer and faced her partner. _"An excellent kill! We make an outstanding hunting pair, if I do say so myself!"_she said excitedly, giving a genuine smile. Nelasier nodded in agreement, clenching her fist in triumph and smiling in return. Verexa then crouched down to pick up the heavy buck, and Nelasier voluntarily grabbed its front legs and began to carry half of its weight. Verexa could certainly have carried it back on her own, but it was a long distance back to the meeting point, so she definitely appreciated her partner's help. _"Thank you, sister." _she said kindly.

There was great significance in the fact that she had referred to Nelasier as her sister, and unbeknownst to her, Nelasier would have given almost anything to call her sister in return. Very few of her siblings cared to have anything to do with her, let alone extend such pleasantries her way, which she was unfortunately limited in her ability to reciprocate when they did. Unable to do anything more, the mute sentry simply smiled inwardly and sufficed it to send appreciative emotions toward her new friend. They continued walking, with the large deer held between them, back toward the meeting spot as the sun continued to approach the horizon. Once they reached the spot at which the hunting party had initially split up, they found Fornuss sitting casually atop of a dead mountain lion with a hole in its chest, presumably where he had jabbed it with his tail.

_"Quite the kill, isn't it?" _he asked conceitedly.

The pair of huntresses gingerly set down their own prey. _"Yes, I suppose it is," _Verexa answered after standing back up. _"Did you find it, or did it find you?"_

_ "I found it, of course!" _Fornuss responded with an undertone of indignation. He was trying to act every bit the esteemed warrior of the hive he was, but Verexa didn't seem impressed.

_"I see. Well done." _she said indifferently, taking a seat next to Nelasier in order to wait for the other three members of the hunting party to return.

After calming himself from his petty outburst, Fornuss struggled to find something else to say. Eventually, he resigned to just ignore it and let it go. His plan to win her favor had backfired, but he knew that he would have other opportunities to make up for it once they returned to the hive. The three xenomorphs simply relaxed in silence while they awaited their siblings.

Just before the sun reached the horizon, Yulsira, Chyress, and Silna returned with nothing but a few jack rabbits to show for their efforts. Once again, Verexa called upon her self control to resist the urge to taunt Yulsira and her meager catch. Looking at the deer and the mountain lion that the others had slain, Yulsira said, _"Good work. This should keep the hive sated for some time. That is a particularly impressive kill, Fornuss." _The fact that she did not give any specific acknowledgment toward Verexa's and Nelasier's deer did not go unnoticed by the two.

_"Thank you, Hunt Mistress," _said Fornuss pompously while getting up and hoisting the dead feline over his shoulder. Nelasier and Verexa also rose to pick up the buck, but Fornuss approached and halted them. _"Please, allow me," _he said, as he boastfully lifted the heavy deer onto his other shoulder. As he walked away, following Yulsira and the others back to the hive, Verexa turned to her friend confusedly. Nelasier simply turned both of her palms upward in an 'oh well' gesture, and they followed the rest of their group away from the setting sun.

…

Thoulux continued to work until he saw a xenomorph approaching behind him, thanks to his peripheral senses, at which point, he turned to face her. It was Qarinna again, and hopefully she was only coming to inform him that he was now relieved for the day. _"Hello again, Qarinna," _he said in a professional tone.

_"Hello. The sun has set, so I just came to tell you that you're finished for the time being. Enjoy your rest hours." _she said equally as professionally, but there was still a twinge of regret and perhaps even sadness present in her voice.

_"Thank you, and the same to you. I'll be on my way then," _he replied.

_"Before you go, I... wanted to apologize about earlier. I sincerely wish the best for you and Verexa, and I hope that she is everything you're looking for in a mate." _Qarinna said solemnly yet truthfully.

Thoulux was relieved by what she had said. He placed a reassuring hand on the female warrior's shoulder but kept her at arm's length. _"Qarinna, please don't dwell on this. Simply leave it in the past, and know that you'll find an excellent mate for yourself soon enough," _he encouraged.

Qarinna noticeably lifted her head a little at this. _"Right... Thank you," _she said with some of her pride returning to her mental voice.

With that, Thoulux brought his hand back to his side and sauntered away, feeling very pleased at how that ordeal had been resolved.

…

The hunting party, now laden with fresh kill, entered the hive via the same entrance through which they had left from. Verexa noted with some humor that Fornuss was now practically panting from the exertion of carrying both the mountain lion and the white-tailed deer; his boastful display once again back firing on him.

They were on their way to the fresh kill chamber when Yulsira handed off the jack rabbit she had been carrying to Chyress and came to a halt while the others continued on. _"Verexa, stay behind to speak with me for a moment," _she ordered.

Verexa stopped, turned around, and made her way over to the older sentry in the seemingly empty room. _"What is it that you need?" _she inquired curtly.

Yulsira splayed her feet slightly while crouching forward a bit and bearing her claws. As she assumed her fighting stance, she gave a low hiss a waved her tail in anticipation. _"You and I are going to have a bit of a spar, so that I may teach you the repercussions of speaking out against me!" _She explained threateningly.

Surprised by Yulsira's actions, Verexa took a similar fighting stance. _"Very well! You have no right to talk rot about your siblings, and I'll certainly enjoy reinforcing that point." _she retorted.

Without another word, Yulsira lunged forward, but Verexa deftly dodged her initial attack. The older sentry whipped around, before Verexa could retaliate, and caught her by the shoulders in an attempt to force her to the ground. Just before she lost her balance, Verexa managed to rake her claws against Yulsira's left side, causing her to recoil in pain. Verexa quickly backed away to successfully escape the other sentry's grasp. The strike had been a lucky one, but she was somewhat satisfied that she had, indeed, added to Yulsira's plethora of scars. However, there was no time to revel, for Verexa now had a slight advantage and knew that she needed to seize the opportunity. She flexed her powerful legs and leaped directly at Yulsira. However, just as she collided into her, the older sentry twisted so that she actually landed on top of Verexa; a testament to Yulsira's greater experience. Quickly recovering from the sudden change of advantage, Verexa brought her legs up and delivered a kick to Yulsira's gut before she managed to land a hit. The kick knocked Yulsira to the side as well as winding her. Both sentries got back to their feet simultaneously. Verexa immediately went after her opponent again, who regained her breath just in time to catch the younger sentry's hands in her own. The two pushed against each other, stuck in an even deadlock.

Suddenly, a tail wrapped around Yulsira's ankles and pulled back, tripping her and causing her to fall face first onto the ground with a small cracking noise. However, it wasn't Verexa's tail that had tripped her. Yulsira rolled over, revealing a hairline fracture in the smooth carapace over her skull, and found Nelasier and Verexa standing over her, now side by side. As Yulsira scrambled to her feet, it became clear that Nelasier had actually stayed behind in order to help her friend should she need it. The older sentry now found herself in a two versus one fight, which she would surely lose. But before anyone made another move, a powerful, feminine voice, not too unlike the queen's, was heard in the minds of each of the three.

_"Cease and desist!" _the voice commanded. All three sentries immediately lowered their aggression and turned to face the praetorian that was now entering the chamber. Verexa realized that the praetorian must be the hive's Praetorian Heir; the individual that would succeed The Empress, if she were ever to be killed, by becoming the new queen of the hive. She was an extension of the queen's power, and therefore, her word was law.

_"Honored praetorian, I was merely-" _Yulsira began to explain before being interrupted by The Praetorian Heir.

_"Speak only when asked to do so while you are in my presence, Yulsira." _she said in a calm yet commanding voice, silencing the unruly hunt mistress. She then turned her attention to Verexa. _"You __are Verexa, correct? One of the newcomers to the hive?" _she asked flatly.

_"Yes, respected praetorian," _she answered.

_"And you realize that this is hardly the way to make a good first impression on your new family?"_

_ "Yes, respected praetorian," _she repeated.

_"Very well," _the praetorian said before addressing all three of them. _"I have no interest in each of your personal opinions on what caused this. Yulsira, your role as a hunt leader does not permit you to ridicule those under your guidance, especially when their hunt is more successful than your own. Verexa and Nelasier, from here onward, you _will _respect your hunt master or mistress under any circumstances. The next time that any of you decide to strike out at one another outside of training, your next sparring partner will be either myself or Donterus, and I guarantee that you will not walk away unscathed. Now, the three of you are to go separate ways and await your task for the days to come."_

With that, they each immediately exited the chamber through three different tunnels. Before she got very far, Verexa reached out to Nelasier on a private link of telepathy. _"Thank you for the assistance, and I am sorry for getting you into trouble as well. I hope to see you again tomorrow. Until then, take care, my friend," _she said. Of course, the only response that she got was the positive emotion of happiness, which was enough for her.

With that settled, Verexa did her best to put the day's events behind her, and she began eagerly looking forward to seeing Thoulux as soon as she found him in the hive. Without noticing, her pace quickened with her enthusiasm.

…

Two humans, each wearing Phoenix flight uniforms, sat at the controls of a small, jet reconnaissance plane. They carefully watched the screens in front of them, which displayed images of the ground below them through several filters including heat signature reading, infrared, electronic signature reading, standard night vision, and several others. They had been flying for hours without seeing anything, and they were approaching bingo fuel levels. Suddenly, one of the scanners reported an anomaly, which was shown on the heat reading camera. It appeared to be a large, black dome with several holes through which heat was being vented.

"Looks like we found one," said one of the humans to his co-pilot.

"Roger that. Let's get back to base and see if this earns us a pay raise," said the co-pilot.

"I still think we should just nuke 'em from up here. Nothing good ever comes from these things," said the first.

"Yeah, well, you know they don't care about what you or I think. If the boss wants to bring in a few of those freaks alive, that's fine with me so long as I'm not the one who has to go get 'em."

"I guess you're right. Log the coordinates of the hive, and let's go home."

**Author's Note:**** The Praetorian Heir doesn't have a name because she may one day become a queen, and queen's are known by titles, not names, in this universe. Anyways, this was the second longest chapter to date (only a couple hundred fewer words less than Citadel of Demons), and I hope you all enjoyed the little fight scene as well as the further description of the hive, the new characters, the foreshadowing of future conflict, the bit of love drama, and the all important character development. Things are about pick up with the plot as far as main conflict and in Thoulux's and Verexa's relationship (still staying T rated, sorry).**

**Happy (late) Independence Day to all my fellow Americans, and a huge thank you to everyone who reads this story world wide. Please comment, follow, review, PM me, etc., and have an awesome day!**

**I do not own anything in this story except the plot and characters.**


	12. Chapter 12- Together

**Alien: Post-Apocalypse**

Chapter 12: Together

The sun was now more than halfway below the horizon. Thoulux sat alone at the end of the tunnel in which his and Verexa's nest was, with his legs and half of his tail hanging over the ledge; below him was a straight drop of about ten meters along the hive's outer shell. While he watched the sun slowly descend, it brought a sense of physical and emotional warmth to him that would have only been complete if Verexa had been there with him. Lost in his thoughts, he paid no attention to anything other than the Sol itself. Had he been more attentive, he would certainly have noticed the xenomorph stealthily creeping up behind him.

He gave short, loud hiss of surprise as he felt a pair of clawed hands grab him from behind, jolting him back to his senses. However, he immediately relaxed upon catching the wonderful and familiar scent of Verexa and felt her hands gently wrap around his midsection as he reflexively gripped her forearms.

_"Got you," _she said softly with a twinge of humor and smugness as she rested her chin over his shoulder. Then, in a more serious tone, _"I hoped I would find you here." _She gave his upper abdomen a light squeeze before removing her arms from him and sitting right next to him.

_"Well, I'm very glad that you found me. How was the hunt?" _Thoulux responded warmly.

Verexa leaned against the warrior's side and said _"It felt good to hunt once again, and the hive won't go hungry. My hunting partner was very skilled, and I hope she will become a good friend to us," _she said happily. She then continued in a far less lighthearted tone of voice. _"However, the hunt mistress and I had a bit of a disagreement..."_

_ "What do you mean by that?" _Thoulux asked with genuine concern in his mental voice.

_"I'll explain everything later," _she said evasively. _"But I can tell that you are hungry, my love. Go find something for yourself to eat, and I'll wait for you to return." _

Thoulux was still worried about what Verexa's "disagreement" with her hunt mistress entailed, but he reluctantly agreed to do as she suggested. After all, his stomach had been reminding him quite frequently that it had been some time since his last meal. _"Very well, but I would like to hear the rest of this when I return," _he said.

_"It's a promise," _the sentry replied

With that, Thoulux got to his feet and made his way to the fresh kill chamber several levels below their nest's tunnel. As he left, Verexa felt a little bad for not being more forthcoming with him, but she couldn't help a small smile at his concern.

Alone now, Verexa glanced at the setting sun just as the very top arch of it sank below the horizon. After admiring the view, she got up and crossed the short distance to the entrance of the nest that she would share with Thoulux. She crawled through the small opening into the confined space within with barely enough room to stand up in. The size of the nest wasn't exactly uncomfortable; just a bit cozy. She found that the floor of the nest was made of some sort of soft resin as opposed to the rock hard chitin that made up the rest of the hive's structure. Verexa laid down to find a comfortable position while waiting for her companion to rejoin her when she became aware of the presence of a warrior approaching the nest, and it was definitely not Thoulux.

_Perhaps it's Orren. He said that his nest is also in this tunnel, so that is probably what he's here for, _she thought. However, the warrior continued past Orren's nest and stopped in front of her own. She immediately recognized him as Fornuss, the warrior from her hunting party.

_"Good evening, Verexa," _he said before he brazenly stepped into the nest as well.

The sentry didn't appreciate his intrusion whatsoever, but she kept calm since the last thing she needed was another conflict today. _"Hello, Fornuss. What brings you here?" _she replied flatly. Her words were well chosen and nonchalant, but her mental voice lacked any warmth toward this warrior who she had very little regard for.

_"Well, I feel as though our initial introduction wasn't I great as I would have liked it to be. I've __heard that you are new to the hive, correct?" _he answered, his mental voice betraying his interest in her.

_"Yes, today was my first day as a part of this hive, along with Thoulux," _she said with hopes that the mention of her companion would deter Fornuss.

_"Ah yes, the warrior who accompanied you this far. I think it is fitting that The Empress has him doing construction work while tasking you with more respectable things such as hunting for the hive." _he said, mocking Thoulux while attempting to compliment her. He took a couple steps closer to the sentry. _"I'd like to make you more welcome here. After seeing you on the hunting grounds, I must admit that I find you rather enticing." _His voice took on a more and more sultry tone as he continued.

Verexa was infuriated by his advance upon her and even more so toward his slanderous words regarding Thoulux. She gave a low hiss of warning before saying, _"You aren't welcome here, and I will not tolerate you speaking against my friend." _Yet again, she wished that she could have referred to Thoulux as her mate rather than just her friend, but even more so, she wished that he would return sooner rather than later.

Fornuss was taken aback by her response, and he hesitated for a moment. _"Loyalty based on what? He probably cares nothing for you. What has he ever done for you?" _he asked in derogation.

Verexa considered his inquiry, even though it was most likely rhetorical. She thought back on how Thoulux had become her only companion, after spending two years wandering the wastelands alone, and how her feelings for him had grown so rapidly. She also knew in her heart of hearts that Fornuss was mistaken; that Thoulux definitely felt similarly for her as well. _"More than you ever will," _she answered with conviction. Then, using her private telepathic link with Thoulux, she said, _"My love, please hurry back!" _with perhaps a little bit more desperation than she originally intended.

Again, Fornuss seemed surprised by her reply. _"Regardless, you deserve so much better than him," _he said after composing his mental voice back to what he hoped to be a more charming tone. Again, he stepped closer to her, stopping directly in front of her. Verexa noticed that he was now salivating slightly with desire. _"Unfortunately, I doubt any of my brothers will be interested in an outsider such as yourself. However,..." _he reached an arm around her to pull her closer. _"...I personally find myself quite attracted to you."_

…

Thoulux had hurriedly headed toward the fresh kill chamber. Fortunately, he had a decent memory of how to get there from his nesting tunnel and managed not to get lost in the labyrinth of tunnels and corridors. He entered the fresh kill chamber and felt the room's distinct chill. There were a few other xenomorphs there as well, likely for the same reason as him. As he approached the smaller "take" pile, he noticed that a pair of drones were busy separating the flesh and meat of each animal carcase from the less desirable bones and fur, which would later be carried to the midden. _How convenient, _he thought to himself. Just then, he recognized Orren among the xenomorphs present. _"Good evening, friend." _he said to the other warrior who then turned to face him.

_"Ah, Thoulux, good to see once again." _Orren replied.

Thoulux went to the prey pile a took a neatly cut strip of meat that was about as wide and long as his forearm; perfect to sate his hunger. _"Likewise. I just came down here to get a quick bite to eat before resting for the night, but I'm glad to have run into you." _he said, taking a bite of the tender meat.

_"I was just about to return to my nest as well. Come, we can eat and talk along the way." _Orren suggested, and the pair of warriors exited the chamber side by side.

Thoulux noticed that Trynia wasn't present, and he didn't recall noticing her presence in her and Orren's shared nest. _"How was your day with Trynia?" _he asked politely.

_"Excellent, thank you. Though, although The Praetorian Guard tasked her with patrolling tonight. I saw her off and then came here to eat before nesting down for the night," _Orren answered, also answering Thoulux's other, unspoken question regarding her whereabouts. _"I do hope that her patrol doesn't encounter a pair of strangers to the hive who might attack them." _he remarked with humor in his mental voice, catching Thoulux by surprise.

_"Ah, heard about that, did you?" _Thoulux said along with the telepathic equivalent of an embarrassed laugh.

_"But of course; the whole hive knows. But don't worry yourself about it. The members of that patrol are more embarrassed about the fact that you and Verexa subdued them with such ease despite the fact that they had you outnumbered." _Orren responded as they continued eating and walking through the inclined tunnels.

Thoulux was just about to respond when he suddenly heard Verexa in his head. _"My love, please hurry back!" _she said. He would have smiled at her eagerness to see him had it not been for her concerned and perhaps even desperate tone. Worriedly, the warrior wolfed down the last of his meal and began sprinting back to the tunnel in which he had left Verexa.

Orren was confused by this but did his best to keep up. _"Why the rush?" _he inquired.

_"Something's wrong, and Verexa needs me!" _

...

Just as Fornuss's hand found the small of her back, he stopped due to the sharp tip of Verexa's tail pressing against his throat, barely lacking enough pressure to penetrate the soft spot over the warrior's trachea. _"Perhaps I wasn't clear enough. The only person I intend to share this nest with is Thoulux, and you have no business being here uninvited. Leave. Now." _she said threateningly while bearing her silvery teeth.

_"You insolent female!" _Fornuss said spitefully. Nevertheless, he began carefully backing away toward the entrance to the nest, for he had no other choice that didn't involve risking his neck. With every step he took backward, Verexa stepped forward, using her tail to keep him literally centimeters away from death in case he tried anything. He reached the opening and carefully exited by crawling backwards. Verexa crawled through the opening as well, and as they entered the tunnel once again, they both noticed a pair of warriors hastily making their way towards them. They were none other than Thoulux and Orren, who came to a halt a short distance away from Fornuss and Verexa.

Satisfied that Fornuss was no longer a threat to her, the sentry lowered her tail blade and took a step back from him. _"Who are you?" _Thoulux said aggressively toward the warrior standing in front of his prospective mate.

_"Never mind me; I was just leaving," _he replied ruefully before attempting to saunter away down the corridor.

However, as Fornuss passed to Thoulux's right, the latter turned and grabbed him harshly by the shoulders. He then shoved Fornuss backwards, slamming his back against the hive wall causing his dorsal tubes to flex outward painfully. Fornuss struggled against his assailant, but Thoulux held the advantage in height, size, and strength. _"You will answer me first," _demanded Thoulux.

_"Fornuss, and you must be Thoulux. Welcome to the hive, _brother_," _spat the smaller warrior in a mocking tone.

Thoulux tightened his grip even further, digging his claws slightly into Fornuss's arms and drawing a few drops of acidic blood as he also leaned his head mere centimeters in front of Fornuss's, hissing menacingly. _"Listen to me, Fornuss, and listen well. You will never bother Verexa again, or else I will take my pleasure in gutting you alive." _His words were cold, calm, and spoken as a matter of fact rather than a threat.

Verexa had simply stood back and appreciated Thoulux's defense of her until two enforcers came up the tunnel and stopped in front of the group. However, Orren was the first to react by placing a hand on Thoulux's shoulder to get his attention. The latter turned his head and noticed the pair of heavily built xenomorphs who had just arrived. He redirected his attention to Fornuss, saying, _"You are in luck."_ With that, he released the other warrior with no small amount of reluctance and turned to face the enforcers.

_"We were sent on command of The Praetorian Heir." _said one of the heavy plated xenomorphs.

Verexa's became very worried at this; The Praetorian Heir had just pulled her away from a fight only moments ago, so she was likely furious that the sentry had already more or less started another one. _"This is a mistake. I-" _she began to say before the enforcer interrupted her.

_"She sent us in your defense. You were not searching for trouble; trouble came to you. We are __here to ensure that Fornuss's antics are over." _he explained as the other enforcer stepped toward Fornuss and grabbed him firmly by the arm, pulling him away before releasing him again. _"Fornuss, you will desist any approach on Verexa, by order of The Heir. Leave, and find something productive to do elsewhere. As for the rest of you, enjoy the rest of the night." _

Fornuss gave one last hiss toward Thoulux before walking away, closely followed by the enforcers, leaving Verexa, Thoulux, and Orren alone in the corridor.

_"Well, I suppose that went fairly well. At least you didn't have to kill him," _Orren said positively. _"I bid the two of you farewell and a good night." _With that, the warrior made his way to his nest and crawled inside.

Thoulux turned to Verexa and asked, _"What caused all of that?" _There was no suspicion toward her in his voice; he was fully on her side.

Verexa appreciated that he had given her the benefit of the doubt. _"He was a member of my hunting party who... seemed to have developed an interest in me – a very one sided interest, at that. He intruded in our nest, and apparently, he wasn't prepared to take 'no' for an answer," _she explained with a mix of sadness and frustration at the situation.

The warrior stepped toward her and warmly embraced her in his arms, and she immediately hugged him back. _"All is well, so long as he didn't harm you in any way." _he said soothingly.

_"No, I'm fine. Thank you." _Verexa replied reassuringly. She smiled at the fact that he seemed to make everything better.

Stroking the sentry's back comfortingly, Thoulux said, _"Come, I think we've both had enough for today." _Verexa silently agreed with him. With that, he released their embrace and guided her toward their nest, wanting nothing more than to fall asleep with his companion resting safely at his side.

For the first time, they entered their nest together, lying on their sides facing one another. Lying on the soft resin floor and with Verexa's sweet scent filling his senses, Thoulux could easily have fallen asleep then and there. However, there was something else on his mind that he wished to discuss with her, as per Orren's advice and that of his better judgement.

_"Verexa, there's something I would like to ask of you," _he began.

_"And what is it, my love?" _she asked gently, her interest piqued despite her sleepiness. She nestled a little closer to him while they spoke telepathically, finding her favorite position with her head against his chest so that she could hear his strong heartbeat more clearly.

Thoulux brought his confidence to bear before saying, _"I wish to have you as my lifemate, so long as you would have me as your own. I know we've only known each other for a short time, and you have every right to say no. But I feel that you and I are meant for each other, and I hope that you feel the same." _The pace of his heart quickened at the unlikely yet ever-present possibility that she might reject him.

Enamored by his deep mental voice and more so by the sincere words that it carried, Verexa smiled at his loving proposal. However, her smile slowly faded as a rouge thought plagued her mind; she had to be sure of one thing before she accepted him to be her mate. _"Thoulux, I would be honored to be your mate, but I believe this hive allows for individuals to be bonded to multiple mates. I love you with all of my being, but... I don't want to... to share you." _she said uncertainly. She needed that to be clear, but she felt like it was somehow wrong and selfish to impose that on him. However, her concerns were forgotten when he placed a gentle hand over her shoulder and ran it down the length of her arm, finding her hand and grasping it with his own.

_"I have no interest in anyone except for you, Love. I wish to be your mate alone" _he said clearly. _"So, will you bond with me?"_

Verexa's smile returned to her, and she answered immediately. _"Absolutely! We can go together tomorrow to ask the queen to bond us officially," _she said happily. She was proud that they would get to have a full fledged bond; if they hadn't found the hive, they would have only been able to live their lives as unofficial lifemates at best.

Thoulux agreed happily, and the corners of his lips curved upward in a smile of his own. _"You __never told me about your 'disagreement' with your hunt leader, but I think I would rather just ignore it and enjoy your company for the night,"_ he noted aloud.

_"But I did make a promise to you, my love, and there's something I'd like to try regarding that," _she insisted.

_"What do you mean?" _inquired the warrior.

_"I know we're not technically mates yet, but if you're not opposed to it, I would like to try melding my mind to yours." _she suggested lovingly.

Thoulux was confused by this. He knew that telepathy in xenomorphs was very powerful, especially in queens and within hives. However, he didn't know the full extent of its uses. _"I'm sorry, I don't quite follow. I trust you with anything, but I'm not sure what you mean." _

The sentry appreciated his trust and proceeded to explain. _"There's a way for a pair of our kind to link our minds together temporarily; much like what the queen did to bring us into the hive, albeit more symbiotic. For instance, it allows a pair of mates to share feeling and memories more directly," _she stated.

_"That seems excellent. Why might I be opposed to it?" _Thoulux asked.

_"As I said, we're not lifemates to one another yet, and if we go through with this, we'll never quite be separate individuals again; bear in mind that this linking of consciousnesses is very permanent," _she cautioned.

_"So is the bond between lifemates, and I have every intention of becoming your lifemate as soon as possible," _the warrior replied with kind conviction. _"Go ahead."_

With Thoulux's consent, Verexa opened her mind as he did the same in much the same way as when they had allowed The Empress to bring them into the hive. However, this time the connection of consciousnesses was mutual instead of a one directional link. Their minds melded together in a nigh indescribable harmony, and their thoughts flowed freely between them. There was such an openness of each individual's thoughts and memories to the other that they were both somewhat reluctant at first; neither wanted to invade the other's privacy despite that completely knowing the other in the most honest way possible was the exact purpose of such a deep mental connection.

After a short time of the pair of xenomorphs acclimating to each other's minds, Verexa took the initiative by recalling the moment in which they first met. As she did so, Thoulux viewed the memory with her in exactly the same way she did. Together they watched as their hands came into contact and they struggled to communicate for the first time. _"I think that's becoming one of my most cherished memories. I had spent so much time by myself just trying to survive, and then I found you. For the first time in years, I didn't feel alone," _she said, her voice soft, kind, and so very close in Thoulux's mind.

Thoulux was touched by her words and how much he meant to her, and he felt the need to show her that he felt similarly. He brought up the memory of their time spent together in the alcove they had found before traveling to The Citadel. The recollection of contentedly resting next to her, the feeling of admiration that he felt toward her even then, and the growing friendship between them were all there for her to see from his perspective. _"You were the first in my entire life to be on my side, and even now you are my best friend and so much more. I love you so very much, Verexa, and I can hardly wait to be your mate." _he said warmly.

The feeling of love was almost overwhelming to Verexa. She crooned softly and wrapped her tail over her lover while still focusing on their telepathic connection. _"Neither can I wait to be yours," _she replied truthfully.

After a moment of simply basking in each other's fully confessed love, the sentry fulfilled her promise to her mate-to-be. Thoulux watched her memories of her day. He took note of the kind and friendly sentry that Verexa had befriended, Nelasier. While her condition of muteness perplexed him just as it had perplexed Verexa, he was very glad that she had found a friend, and he decided that any friend of Verexa's could certainly be a friend to him. A small sense of rage and protectiveness instinctively came to the warrior upon seeing Verexa's first confrontation with Yulsira, her hunt mistress. The well experienced sentry's rude and slightly aggressive introduction was not appreciated by anyone else, especially Verexa, Nelasier, or Thoulux as he watched the memory. Eventually, he saw, from Verexa's perspective, the hunt itself. He was highly impressed by the sight of Verexa and Nelasier chasing and killing the deer with such efficiency. However, he was not so impressed by Fornuss's boastfulness, and a small smile came to his face at the realization that Verexa wasn't impressed either.

Then came her memory of the conflict she had mentioned with Yulsira after their return to the hive. He was infuriated that Yulsira continued to cause problems. Thankfully, Verexa had held her own remarkably well against the more experienced sentry until Nelasier came to her aid. Thoulux made a mental note that he would certainly have to thank Nelasier for that. However, before anything else happened, a praetorian entered the chamber and put an end to the fight. Thoulux noticed that it wasn't Donterus, but rather his sister, The Praetorian Heir. The Heir did not make herself biased toward either side, but instead made it very clear that their quarrel was over.

After that, the memory faded just as Verexa was reunited with Thoulux. _"Thank you for sharing that with me," _said the warrior.

_"I at least owed you an explanation," _Verexa said. _"Do you also want to see what happened with Fornuss while you were away?" _she asked with slight reluctance.

_"No, it would only serve to make me more angry toward him. Besides, seeing him at the end of your tail blade was enough for me to know your stance toward him. I don't think we'll have any more trouble from him," _Thoulux replied comfortingly. _"Is there anything you'd like to see from me during our time apart?"_

_ "I would just like to see how your day went." _Verexa responded, accepting his offer purely out of curiosity. With that, Thoulux gladly offered her his memories of the past day. She felt a twinge of sympathy at seeing the tedious labor he was stuck with for the whole day; construction and refurbishment were tasks that she had never been fond of in her birth hive. There wasn't much of interest to her aside from the drone that had unknowingly interrupted their conversation in order to attempt to seduce Thoulux. She felt fury as well as a bit of possessiveness at this, which was soon relieved when Thoulux promptly turned down the flirtatious drone. Not long afterward, Thoulux's loyalty toward her was again tested, this time by an admittedly attractive female warrior who had been directing him throughout the day. Her allurement was much more finessed than the drone's as well. A sense of pride came to Verexa as she saw how he conducted himself in that situation, not allowing anything to compromise his existing relationship with the sentry whom he undoubtedly loved.

_"Thoulux, I'm so thankful for your faithfulness. I know I can always trust you, and that really means a lot to me" _she said softly. She now knew beyond any doubt that he was definitely the one for her and that his intentions were sincere.

_"Of course, my love," _the warrior responded.

Suddenly, Thoulux felt his companion's mind recede from his own. It was a strange feeling; like an ebbing tide leaving a cold emptiness where her warm thoughts had once filled. The pair of xenomorphs found themselves mentally separate once again, yet they could still feel the lasting effects of their deeper mental bond. They laid in each other's arms for a while longer, talking about little things such as their predictions of what the next day had in store for them. Eventually, they both fell asleep still holding onto one another contentedly.

…

"For the last time, sir, these things are _far_ more trouble than they're worth," advised General Harver in a somewhat irritable tone. "Name one attribute that makes them worth the potential threat that they pose."

The Director couldn't be seen by the generals or their staff, but they could all hear his voice through the speakers. "First of all, General Harver, I believe we're all quite aware of the threat that the xenomorphs are, and your persistence at reminding us is becoming a nuisance. Mine is the most powerful organization that we're aware of in the entire western hemisphere since the war. While this xenomorph hive so close to our controlled territory is indeed dangerous, I have no doubt that we are quite capable of handling it on our own terms. Secondly, I _do not _owe you any elaboration on the part of my directions, however, I refuse to believe that you're so blind as to be unaware of the potential benefits to researching and eventually controlling our own xenomorph hive. We can't afford to squander this opportunity."

"I find myself in agreement with The Director on this one, General Harver," said General Pierce after taking a long drag from his cigarette and then extinguishing in a nearby ash tray.

"Seconded," stated General Willschmitt. "Our military is strong, but we've all seen what these things are capable of. If we could supplement out existing forces with controlled xenomorphs, it would make retaking the territories north and south of us much easier."

Harver shook his head, unable to believe what he was hearing.

"You see, Harver? Your peers understand the potential gain in this, and you would do well to let go of your son's unfortunate fate and accept it." said The Director.

"Well then, you don't need any of my help," replied General Harver. "Gentlemen." With that, he excused himself from the conference room. Had the entrance featured a manual door instead of an automatic sliding one, he would have slammed it upon exiting.

Willschmitt let out a deep sigh at his colleague's response, and Pierce lit up another thick cigarette. "Go ahead, Director. What's your plan of action?" prompted the latter, speaking between puffs.

"I want a unit of Special Operations to be equipped with nonlethal weapons and necessary gear to subdue and extract one or more xenomorph specimens from the hive and bring said specimens back for study. They are to be dispatched and have their mission accomplished in less than 48 hours. I don't care how you do it, as long as the hive as a whole remains intact and they retrieve at least one live specimen" ordered The Director.

"Understood. And what about the hive itself? We have a settlement less than thirty kilometers northwest of it," inquired Willschmitt.

"So far, this particular hive seems fairly docile, and the AZ058 settlement has never reported any sightings of xenomorphs. Not to mention, there's an atomic crater between the hive and AZ058 where the Kayenta city ruins used to be," stated The Director.

"Sir, I don't think it's quite sufficient to just hope that the xenomorphs don't attack AZ058. There are about 250 people living there. If I understand the way these things reproduce correctly, that's 250 potential hosts and 250 potential new threats," countered General Willschmitt.

"General Harver is currently looking at a demotion very soon for his insubordination, though he doesn't know it yet. How would you like to be in the same boat as him, Willschmitt?" asked The Director rhetorically. "The xenomorph hive as a whole will be dealt with in due time. For now, I want a live specimen so that we can continue the research that was taking place in The Citadel. It is of the utmost importance for what we have in store for us."

"Of course, Director. We'll see it through," said Pierce.

"Good," was The Director's only reply before the transmission was ended and the generals and their staff set about the preparations necessary for the mission ahead.

…

General Harver sat at his desk, rubbing his eyes with one hand while the other held his old officer's pistol from his time spent serving in the American Empires' joint military. The handgun wasn't loaded, but he always kept a full magazine in the top drawer of his desk. He contemplated using it to do himself in, but he disregarded that thought. The death of his son was not as hard on him as some people may have believed; they had never been very close, but nevertheless, Lieutenant Michael Harver had been the last member of his immediate family and his death was definitely taking its toll. Watching his son die repeatedly at the hands of a strange alien creature on the security footage replays hadn't been easy on him either.

_If The Director wants to put more lives at risk for the sake of his alien army fantasy, fine. But I will _not _be held accountable, _General Harver thought to himself. With renewed resolution, he put his sidearm away and called in his staff for a meeting. When The Director's insane plans went haywire again, Harver had every intention of having a backup plan ready to go, and that backup plan would take form in a baptism of nuclear fire.

…

The Citadel was as eerie and horrible as ever and perhaps even more so than usual. Thoulux found himself alone in the macabre corridors. Never did he want to return here again, and yet, there he was. He began walking through the long hallway he was in, but he found that his pace was sluggish and he could do nothing to move any faster. What's more, was the fact that no matter how many slow steps he took, he appeared to come no closer to his destination.

Without warning, a pained and malicious voice entered his mind. _"I hhhh-_hear _you," _said the voice. Thoulux shivered, but his slow movement only grew slower. He perceived only the oppressiveness of The Citadel itself, and the silence that he heard was completely deafening.

The lone warrior continued his vain struggle to reach the end of the corridor and thus become that much closer to escape. The voice returned. _"I-I... I _ssssmmell _you," _it said, seemingly closer this time. The only thing that Thoulux could smell was the ever present stench of death and decay.

All of Thoulux's strength amounted to nothing as he was simply incapable of moving any faster. His movement once again slowed to a near stand still as the voice entered his mind once again. _"I s-s-_see _you," _it said evilly. Indeed, the voice's source seemed to be very close now, perhaps even in the same corridor that Thoulux was still trying to escape from, yet all he could see was the unending hallway.

Thoulux came to a complete stop, and he was no closer to the end of the corridor than when he began. Yet again, the voice sounded in his mind. _"I _feel _y-you." _It seemed to be coming from right next him, but all he could feel was how cold and alone he felt. He would have given anything to see Verexa there to help him.

Suddenly, he heard a loud crack, smelled the unmistakable scent of his own blood, saw the tip of a xenomorph's tail pierce his left collarbone, and felt the excruciating pain that it caused. Despite all of this, he was still unable to move at all. The xenomorph who had stabbed him leaned its head over his shoulder from behind and let out a hiss of satisfied blood lust. Through his peripheral perception,Thoulux could just barely recognize the deformed face of his only sibling, The Zealot, as it had been called.

The voice entered his mind for the last time before everything faded to black, and this time it was clear, unbroken, and more malevolent than ever. _"I _found _you!"_

…

Verexa woke up to find herself alone in the nest. She was surprised that Thoulux had left with no explanation, and she decided to go look for him. She didn't have to look far as she crawled out into the tunnel and found Thoulux sitting in the same spot he had sat before leaving to find a meal. The night was still fairly young, and the moon and stars shone through the tunnel opening. She began to approach her lover, deciding not to sneak up on him as she had done last time. _"Thoulux?" _she asked, her telepathic voice the equivalent of a whisper.

The warrior turned his head to see her over his shoulder while she continued to approach and sit right next to him. _"Oh, Verexa. I had hoped you wouldn't wake before dawn," _he replied softly.

_"It's fine; we still have plenty of time to rest, but I would like it better if you joined me. What has you awake, anyways?" _she inquired curiously with only the slightest hint of worry.

Thoulux hesitated for a moment, and Verexa noticed that he was clutching his left collarbone where he had been shot a couple days prior. Eventually he responded. _"It was just a dream. Nothing to be concerned with," _he said dismissively.

Verexa wasn't satisfied with that, and she gently pulled his hand away in order to reveal the bullet wound. It appeared to be fully healed, with only a spot of gray scar tissue remaining against the matte black of the rest of his exoskeleton. However, she could vaguely sense the fact that Thoulux was in pain. _"Does it still hurt?" _she asked.

_"No, well... not exactly," _Thoulux answered unclearly.

The sentry took one of his hands in both of hers. _"Please, my love, confide in me," _she pleaded. She moved one of her hands to stroke the side of his elongated cranium as though she were silently asking to be let in.

Thoulux freed his hand from hers and then pulled her into his embrace, nuzzling his head against hers. He opened his mind to her and allowed her complete access to his consciousness. Verexa wasted no time in melding her mind to his. She searched his psyche for a short while before finding the fading memory of his dream amongst the most resent of his memories. While some of the dream had already been forgotten, most of it was still there. Verexa watched the awful nightmare, just as Thoulux had originally seen it, ending with his late sibling literally stabbing him in the back and hissing its satisfaction in doing so. She was shocked by the nightmare's vividness as well as the fear that it elicited; fear being an emotion that neither of the two was particularly familiar with.

_"Oh, Thoulux..." _she said sadly, clinging on to him both physically and on a mental level. She wanted so badly to help him, but the only thing she could think of was...

Without hesitation or second thought, she manipulated the memory of the dream and more or less erased it, in a manner of sorts. Thoulux would still recall having the dream, but he simply wouldn't be able to recall what happened in it. For all intents and purposes, his nightmare was almost entirely forgotten due to Verexa's mental manipulation. At first, the warrior was taken aback by her actions, but he immediately forgave her; he knew she had acted with the best of intentions and he trusted her completely with his mind.

Verexa, on the other hand, immediately regretted what she had done without even warning him. _"Thoulux, I'm sorry! I should not have done that without asking you," _she apologized. At this, Thoulux gave her a tight squeeze within his arms.

_"All is well, my love. I hadn't realized that this connection allowed you to do such things, but I know that my trust in you is well placed. And... thank you for that," _he said soothingly with sincere appreciation for her taking away the pain that the dream had left him with. Verexa crooned, simply content to hold him in her embrace as he held her in his. They stayed like that for a while longer after separating their minds once again.

Eventually they released one another, but continued to hold each other at arms length, standing in the moonlight. _"Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?" _Thoulux inquired warmly.

Verexa was flattered. It had been a long time since anyone had complimented her like that. She remembered the days when her mother would say such sweet things about intellect or her grace and skill in fighting and hunting. However, she had never had such words spoken to her from a lover, and her heart warmed at it. _"I don't recall you saying so before, but that's very kind of you to say," _she replied in a soft and alluring voice.

_"Then I'll be sure to remind you of that more often," _said the warrior, a small smile coming to his lips,which mirrored Verexa's own smile that she hadn't noticed before.

The sentry let one of her arms fall to her side while using the other to take Thoulux by the hand and lead him along. _"Let's return to our nest, my mate-to-be," _she suggested. With that, Thoulux followed eagerly, and there were no more int interruptions for the remainder of the night.

…

_"Yes, Mother, it was undoubtedly human in origin," _said Trynia from where she knelt before The Empress. _"I believe it was a scout of sorts."_

The queen's massive head tilted ever so slightly. Her curiosity was piqued as well as that of her Heir and Guard on either side of her. The Royal Three stood imposingly in front of the night patrol, which had returned early carrying supposedly vital news. _**"I see. And you are sure that this flying craft was near enough to see the hive?" **_she asked Trynia, who had taken the initiative in reporting the information thus far.

_"Almost certainly, respected queen," _answered the drone.

_"Then the hive is in danger. Humans pose a dire threat to our way of life, and we must make preparations to defend the hive if need be," _stated The Praetorian Guard.

_**"Be that as it may, Donterus, I'm sure you haven't forgotten the fact that humans also represent our species's best means of reproduction. This may prove a beneficial endeavor for us." **_said the queen to her mate.

_"The Empress is right. We have not encountered humans for quite some time, and I believe it is high time that we expand our population. Nevertheless, Donterus offers a quite valid point as well; the humans are not ignorant of us, and it is all but certain that they will seek to destroy us. We must stand ready to prevent that from happening," _said The Praetorian Heir.

_**"My thoughts exactly. Trynia, thank you, my daughter. A reserve patrol is already prepared to relieve you and your patrol-mates. Therefore, you may take this time to yourselves until you are needed once again." **_

_"Thank you, Mother." _said Trynia. With a bow of her head, she rose to her feet and exited the royal chamber, closely followed by the other members of her patrol. She was relieved that the queen had heeded the warning that the patrol had brought for her, and she wondered what this situation with the humans had in store for the hive as a whole. She pondered this for a short while before ultimately deciding that she had faith in Donterus's ability to lead the hive's defense when the time came and that that's all that mattered to her.

She entered the tunnel in which her shared nest with Orren was, but instead of stopping at her nest's entrance she continued a few more meters. On a whim, she had decided to check on their new neighbors. She peeked into Thoulux's and Verexa's nest and found the couple sound asleep in each other's arms with their tails intertwined. A feeling of warmth and happiness entered the drone's heart at the sight of the two peaceful lovers. With that she promptly made her way to her own nest. After all, she had a mate of her own that she was eager to tend to.

**Author's Note:**** I apologize for the abnormally long delay for this chapter. I've been writing it over the course of a couple weeks between work, and as such, it has required significant checking and re-checking, writing and rewriting, etc. Anyways, I'm fairly satisfied with how it turned out in the end. *mild spoilers* Either next chapter or the one after that, the action is going to pick up significantly, and in 3-4 chapters, we'll see our final climax/finale. I'm still not sure how I want this story to end, so I've all but decided on writing multiple endings (one sad ending, one "happily ever after" ending, etc.) that you can choose from for yourself. If you have a specific (chapter sized) ending that you, as a fan, would like to see for this story, please feel free to PM the concept to me. If I get more than one good idea, I'll pick the best one, write and post it, and give the person who suggested it credit for that particular ending. Heck, If I get two really good ones, I'll probably write both of them. Otherwise, I'll write my own happy and sad endings and call it a day. **

**Please comment and PM me, and as always, thank you so much for reading!**

**I do not own anything in this story except the plot and characters.**


	13. Chapter 13- Intruders

**Author's Note:**** I usually reply to reviews via PM, but I don't have that option for those who don't have a registered account. To the anonymous reviewer "x," I really do appreciate your support, as well as everyone else's! Your comment meant a lot to me, and I only regret not having this chapter ready sooner for you. To reviewer "****Truthordareftw," more or less, yes. Basically, Thoulux's birth queen was an experimental test subject for about two years just as he was, and she was also the type of queen who demands absolute control over her children through direct telepathic manipulation (much the same as the way I interpret the queen from the movie **_**Aliens**_**). Unfortunately for her, she only had two children to control in the first place, and while she viewed herself as an all ruling goddess, she was actually not nearly as telepathically capable as most queens. Anyways, ladies and gentlemen, I (finally) give you chapter 13:**

**Alien: Post-Apocalypse**

Chapter 13: Intruders

Operative George McGalister sat back in his bunk with the stripped down parts of a pistol in front of him, which he was in the process of cleaning and lubricating. He had already cleaned each of his weapons twice, and he was only cleaning his pistol once more since it was the only lethal firearm that he was allowed to bring for the next op, as per the mission perimeters. McGalister frowned at that; he didn't trust the nonlethal sedation weapons that he and his fellow operatives would be equipped with for the mission, especially against alien life forms, which were classified as "hyper-lethal." _Nonlethal versus hyper-lethal, huh? Great, _he thought with a mirthless chuckle. He had no doubts that he and his team could handle this op, but he had no illusion that it wouldn't be easy with their sub-standard weaponry, if it could even be called weaponry. Perhaps sub-standard wasn't the right word, since the array of chemical and electrical incapacitation weapons were state of the art, but the fact that they lacked the ability to end a fight by sheer force was concerning.

McGalister checked his wristwatch, which read 2300 on the dot. "Strange to think that in less than 24 hours from now, we'll be inside an alien structure trying to kidnap one of 'em, isn't it?" he said to his bunk mate, Operative Weston.

"Yeah, sure. It says here that these 'xenomorphs' don't have eyes, so what's the point of going at night?" responded Weston, reading over the mission briefing on a data pad.

"'Cause we're the boogeymen, and you know that boogeymen only come out at night," said McGalister jokingly. "Besides, we've got NVGs."

"Night vision sucks. No matter how dark it is, I'd probably still be able to aim better without the goggles than with them on. How did we get stuck with this op anyways?" protested Weston.

"Who cares? I'll take a risky mission every now and then over living like a civilian any day. Ya know what kind of rations they get? A quarter pound of rice and a quart of water, which they have the choice of either drinking or cooking the rice with. That's it. Life sucks for them," McGalister said, only half joking. He finished reassembling his weapon and rack the slide once to make sure it was functioning correctly.

"There's a lot more truth to that than you'd think. You can't really blame the civies for rebelling. People will do anything when their family's starving."

"On that, we can agree. Anything else useful on that mission brief?" asked McGalister, changing the subject. He had read it himself, albeit not very carefully.

"Well apparently, these suckers have acid for blood. Maybe it's better that we've got nonlethal weapons after all," suggested Weston.

"Forget that noise. I'd rather shoot and kill 'em before they get close enough for me to have to worry about their blood."

Operative Weston's only reply was a unfocussed "Right." His thoughts were obviously elsewhere now.

"Oh well. If I'm gonna die because we're supposed to take one of these freaks alive instead of just killing them all, I might as well do it on a full night's sleep." McGalister said in conclusion after putting his pistol away. However, his thoughts were on the upcoming mission, and he suddenly had an uneasy feeling about it. Sleep did not come easily for him.

…

Morning finally arrived, and Verexa woke up on her own, soon followed by Thoulux. For a moment, the two simply stayed where they were, wrapped in each other's arms and tails, until the former moved to stretch. A few pops sounded from her vertebrae as she arched her back while speaking to her lover telepathically.

_"Did you sleep well?" _the sentry asked warmly as Thoulux also rose to his feet.

_"Much better than at first. And you?" _he replied.

_"Of course, thank you. Waking next to you each morning is probably going to be my favorite part of each day," _said Verexa.

_"I agree, though I also enjoy every other moment I spend with you," _Thoulux replied in a gentle tone, as he stepped closer to her and embraced her once again, resting his chin behind her shoulder. _"And to think that I could have spent my life apart from you."_

_ "We both could have spent our lives alone," _the sentry responded with a bit of sadness in her voice. _"But we found each other instead, so there's no need to worry about what might have been."_

Thoulux crooned softly at that, and they both sat beside one another. The warrior kept his arms around his prospective mate's midsection and slowly traced circles around the soft spot over her belly with the tip of his finger, being careful not to scratch her with his claw. _"We could go and speak with the queen and be bonded now if we choose to. Are you still sure that is what you want?" _he asked.

Verexa placed her hands over Thoulux's, putting a stop to his tracing, although she was enjoying it in a way. _"Never before have I been so sure of something in my life," _she answered with conviction. Her companion smiled at her reply.

_"Likewise," _he said.

With that, the pair of xenomorphs stood once again and exited their nest in order to make their way to the queen. Ironically, no sooner had they done so than The Empress's telepathic presence entered the minds of each of them. _**"Verexa and Thoulux, please see me in my chamber at once. There are some urgent matters that I must discuss, and I believe the two of you have a request of me as well," **_she said calmly.

_"Yes, Mother; we were already on our way, in fact," _responded Verexa.

_**"Excellent," **_said the queen before her telepathy receded from their minds.

The two continued on, side by side and tail in tail, until they arrived in The Empress's chamber and bowed before her. No one else was present at the time.

_**"As always, your gestures of respect are not wasted on me. But please, be at ease and listen." **_she said. As directed, the couple took to more comfortable sitting positions right next to each other and waited for the queen to continue. _**"Allow me to begin by saying that I appreciate your diligence and lack of complaint regarding your work while separate from one another. While it is important to me that you each performed your duties regardless of the company you were in, I now understand that you are both very close to the other, and I will take this into consideration before tasking you separately again."**_

___"Thank you, my queen," _replied Thoulux.

The Empress stopped for only a moment before continuing on straight to business. _**"Now, on to more important matters," **_she said. _**"It has come to my attention that the humans are aware of our hive. No doubt, they will seek to destroy us. However, we have no knowledge of where these human scouts who found us originated. Of course, my own scouts have explored the area around the hive thoroughly and never found anything more small human encampments nearby. The only region that has yet to be so well reconnoitered is to the north. The two of you are to travel north to see what is **__**there. Return in a day's time or less, and tell me what you've found."**_

___"As you wish, my queen," _Verexa said, with only the slightest hint of disappointment in her voice.

_**"Ah yes, one last thing: Thoulux, I believe you had something to ask of me?" **_The Empress prompted before they left.

Realizing what the queen was referring to almost immediately, Thoulux stood to his full height and boldly stepped forward. Verexa also stood and followed just behind her mate-to-be. _"Respected Empress, I ask that you would bond Verexa and I permanently as life mates."_

_**"And this is your will as well, Verexa?" **_she inquired.

_"Absolutely, my queen." _replied the sentry with just as much sureness as before.

_**"I see. My proposition is that upon returning from your scouting run of the northern region, **__**I shall bond the two of you immediately," **_decreed the queen.

Thoulux had half a mind to insist that they be bonded at the present, but he ultimately decided that disputing the queen's decision wouldn't bode well. A telepathic nudge, which urged restraint, from Verexa solidified his decision. _"Very well," _he replied flatly.

_**"Good. I suggest that the two of you slake your thirst and hunger before leaving"**_

__The two lesser xenomorphs agreed and were dismissed from The Empress's presence. Together, they made their way to the fresh kill chamber and the adjacent drinking pool. Along the way, Thoulux expressed his disappointment toward the outcome of their meeting with the queen. _"Why would she deny us our bond until the task she's given to us is complete. It isn't as though we would be any less likely to do her deed." _he said.

_"As our queen, it is certainly her right to do so," _explained Verexa.

_"Of course... You're right, but what purpose does it serve?" _the warrior insisted.

_"Surely, she knows better than us how dangerous the area to the north may be. It's possible that one of us could die along the way. It would be horrible for the other to be bereaved so soon." _Verexa suggested before realizing the full gravity of what she had just said.

An air of unease passed over them both as they considered such a concept. Thoulux wrapped his tail once around Verexa's to try and comfort both of them. _"If I were to lose you, I would be bereaved with or without being officially bonded," _he said solemnly.

_"As would I, but it doesn't matter; I will protect you with my life, and I know you will do the same for me. We will not allow death to separate us," _stated the sentry

_"My thoughts exactly."_

Just then, the pair arrived at their destination. They each selected a portion of meat, which would keep their hunger sated until their return, and found a quite area to sit and share their meal together. After they had finished, they made their way to the drinking pool, where Verexa spotted a familiar mute sentry satisfying her thirst.

_"Nelasier! It's good to see again, friend." _Verexa said, and Nelasier turned to focus on the two xenomorphs approaching her. Her emotions reflected that she was happy to see her new friend again and also that she was curious about the male who accompanied her. _"This is my mate-to-be, Thoulux. Thoulux, this is Nelasier, my friend whom I told you about yesterday," _she introduced.

Nelasier extended the same 'pleased to meet you' gesture with which she had greeted Verexa the previous day before their hunt, and Thoulux quickly understood it. _"It's nice to meet you as well," _he said courteously.

_"Do you have any work to do today?" _Verexa asked Nelasier, to which she tilted her head slightly and shook it side to side as a negative answer. _"Ah, well I hope you enjoy you day of rest. Thoulux and I have been charged with exploring to the north. The queen believes there may be a base of human combatants there."_

Nelasier visibly recoiled a bit at the mention of the northern region, and her emotions reflected that she was suddenly on her guard and perhaps a bit dismayed for her new acquaintances. She tapped the front of her forehead just between the two empty eye sockets of her vestigial skull, which was the spot where a xenomorph's perception was most clear. She was trying to suggest watchfulness and the use of caution. Verexa and Thoulux understood the gist of her warning.

_"We'll keep our guard up until we return to the hive. And we _will _return to the hive, safe and sound," _Thoulux replied with his usual confidence.

The mute sentry simply nodded her head once with an air of worry before briefly hugging Verexa, gripping Thoulux's palm in farewell, and then departing. Internally she once again struggled with her lack of ability to tell Thoulux and Verexa exactly what her concerns were, and she felt a strong need to see her queen. The Empress understood Nelasier's alternative communication better than any other, and besides that, she needed answers.

_"That was a bit odd," _said Thoulux after Nelasier had left.

_"Yes. I wish she could have told us what bothered her," _agreed Verexa.

The two crouched next to the water reservoir and began to drink deeply. _"Do you think that The Empress knows more about the northern region than she let on?" _the warrior inquired.

_"I would like to think not,... but it's possible._

Thoulux didn't like the way this was beginning to look. Nevertheless, he maintained his trust in the queen for the time being and resigned to complete their mission as quickly as possible and protect Verexa no matter the cost.

After slaking their thirst, Verexa and Thoulux walked alongside one another as they made their way through the tunnels to get to the northern entrance. Naturally, their course took them through the same busy section of the hive, which was still under refurbishment and nearly complete. As the other xenomorphs milled about their business while Thoulux and Verexa passed by, the latter heard the telepathic voice of one of her new sisters speaking privately in her mind.

_"Thoulux is likely the best mate you could have found in this hive. Do well by him, and keep him safe," _said the unknown person to the sentry.

_"I will," _replied Verexa. It wasn't clear whether the other had heard her or not, for she did not receive a response after that. _Strange. I feel as though I've heard her voice before, yet I don't believe we've met, _she thought to herself.

It wasn't until several moments later that she realized that she recognized the voice from Thoulux's memories the night before. It was none other than the voice of Qarinna.

…

The room in which General Harver sat in was not unlike the conference room that he and the other generals were used to when The _Director_ needed to speak with them, albeit smaller. He sat alone, and the room was dark, save for the faint light from the blank screen in front of him. Suddenly, the screen displayed the face of a man sitting in a large, comfortable looking chair. However there was a light directly behind the man on the screen, so his features were completely hidden by shadow.

"Director." General Harver greeted mirthlessly.

"General Harver. Or should I say 'Colonel Harver', as it soon will be?"

Harver's eyes went a bit wider upon hearing the suggested demotion, but he was not entirely surprised. He now knew exactly what this unexpected meeting was going to be about. "Excuse me?" he prompted for an explanation.

"Your demotion to colonel is pending while we find a suitable candidate to replace you. While your work as a general was commendable, your insolence has earned you this," said the director without feeling.

With no small amount of self control, Harver once again bit back what he really wanted to say to the tyrannical Director. "Understood, _sir. _Will that be all?" he said instead.

"Yes, I suppose anything further would be a waste of my time. Dismissed." replied The Director.

Harver immediately rose from his seat and made his way to the door, which unlocked and open just as he got to it. As far as he or anyone else aside from The Director was concerned, he was still a general, and if he was about to lose his position after losing his son, he was going to make it all worth it. He sought vengeance against both the xenomorph species and the Phoenix organization, and he had a plan to kill two birds with one stone. There was work to be done, and Harver's window of opportunity was shrinking by the minute.

…

As the pair of xenomorphs approached the northern exit of their adoptive hive, they noticed something strange. A contingent of standard warriors were relieving the enforcers from their post. It seemed that they were being directed to guard the inner sanctum of the hive – including the queen's chamber. They passed the enforcers going the other way, but when they reached the exit, the largest of the warriors there stopped them.

_"May I ask why you're leaving the hive?" _she asked, though it was more of a command than a question. Suddenly, she seemed to recognize their mission, or perhaps the queen had communicated it directly to her. _"Ah yes, the north-bound scouts. Please, carry on."_

_ "Is the hive expecting trouble?" _Thoulux asked the unnamed warrior in regard to the enforcers moving to protect The Empress more directly.

_"We aren't sure. We're simply following Mother's directives," _she replied professionally.

_"As are we. We'll be on our way then," _said Verexa. _"We should be returning around nightfall."_

_ "Today is still young; you should have no problem returning by then. Just be careful when you get there," _said the warrior guard.

_"We will," _Verexa responded as she and Thoulux continued out of the hive. She was curious about specifically what the warrior had meant by "there," but she didn't bother to ask.

…

As Thoulux and Verexa ran due north, they spoke about various things: each other, their new hive, the other xenomorphs they had met, what they expected to find on their scouting trip, etc. As they traveled, the vegetation around them became thinner and thinner until the familiarly empty desert was all they could see before them.

After about an hour, they reached a vast plain, the ground of which was far different from the rest of the desert. There were patches of ground that were solid, yet they weren't stone, but rather spots where the dirt and sand had fused into crude glass from intense heat. As they looked ahead, they found that the patches of solidified ground became larger until the ground was nothing but one great broken glass sheet. They found themselves on the border of a circle of trinitite several kilometers across.

_"What happened here?" _Thoulux asked, completely awestricken. He stepped forward, and the half-fused glass cracked beneath his feet with each step. He could taste the same stale, metallic scent in the air that he had sensed upon returning to The Citadel a few days before. He had no idea what to make of any of this.

Verexa approached him from behind after he stopped a few steps into the glass field. _"This was the humans' final solution to their conflict. This is the result of their most powerful weapons. For days, they set fire to their own planet, Thoulux. Can you imagine it?" _She explained solemnly. _"I've seen this once before."_

_ "Where?" _he inquired before turning to her.

Verexa hesitated for a moment before replying. "Around... my birth hive," she said with great sadness in her mental voice.

Thoulux couldn't believe he hadn't found the answer to his own question before asking, since she had told him what had happened to her hive. It only made sense that she would have returned to it before realizing what had happened and seeing the destruction first hand. He cursed himself for asking her about it, and stepped toward her to comfort her. He hugged her close to him, and while she hung her head in memory, she slowly reciprocated his embrace.

_"I'm sorry, Verexa. I should have known." _he said.

The sentry nuzzled into him a little more, and welcomed the soothing emotions that he projected. _"All is well," _she said softly. She pulled back slightly, but still held him at arm's length. _"We need to continue onward, but we should go around this crater. I care not to see what lies at the center."_

_ "I'm right at your side," _replied the warrior. With that, they released one another and went on the move once again.

Together, they circumnavigated the nuclear blast radius in order to continue northward. Before long, they could just make out the silhouette of something very large standing out above the otherwise flat horizon in the distance. _"That could be the human base that the queen suspected!" _Verexa exclaimed.

"_You're right. It's certainly worth investigating," _

They ran toward the structure in the distance, and as they drew nearer, it became certain that is was indeed human in design. It appeared to be a cluster of small, geometrically shaped hives that humans typically lived in. surrounding the cluster of hives, was a thin grid well of crisscrossing metal strips supported by evenly spaced, vertical rods. When the pair of xenomorphs arrived at the fence, they could sense the humans within their homes, but there were none around to see them at the moment. Placing his fingers through the chain-link fence, Thoulux easily wrenched the thin metal strips apart, creating a hole large enough for the two to crawl through.

There were humans everywhere, but they were all either within or on the other side of the building from where Thoulux and Verexa were. _"I think it's best if we stay hidden. If these humans are all combatants with the same weapons they brought to The Citadel, I doubt we would escape unharmed if they detected us," _Thoulux reasoned.

_"You're right," _Verexa agreed.

The buildings were very close together and were not aligned perfectly, making it easy for the two to go from one alley to the next without being noticed. After only a short while of exploring the area, it became clear that it was more of a settlement than a base for human warriors. There were places where the humans grew food, there were children, and there were only a few armed guards, which they had avoided so far. There were none of the large vehicles, weapons, or anything else that the humans would keep in a military base. All of the humans who weren't guards seemed miserable and quite underfed, as the xenomorphs watched them from where they hid.

_"I don't understand any of this, but I don't think this place is any threat to the hive," _said Verexa.

_"My thoughts exactly, but the queen will certainly want to know about this none the less. We should return to the hive and inform her about this place; perhaps she'll be interested in these humans __as hosts," _Thoulux replied as they entered a particularly long alleyway.

Neither of them noticed the guard walking at the other end of the alley a couple dozen meters away. The man stopped in his tracks and stared at the two alien creatures ahead of him, dumbfounded. He then raised his rifle and fired at them. Thoulux immediately reacted by blindly barging through a weak wooden entrance to one of the human structures. Verexa followed him, and they both managed to avoid the bullets that whizzed right past them. They stood on either side of the doorway and only had to wait a few seconds before the human followed them into the building to give chase. He hadn't expected them to be waiting for him, and the two xenomorphs simultaneously skewered him with their tails, causing him to die almost instantly with blood soaking through his black uniform.

It was only after they retracted their tails and let the body fall that they realized they were still not alone in the building. On the other side of the room, backed up into the far corner, a man stood in front of his mate, who was clutching a small child in her arms and was clearly carrying another in her womb.

The humans stared back in fear, but the male stood his ground to defend his mate and offspring in any way he could. Thoulux turned and hissed aggressively, bearing his claws. Verexa, on the other hand, simply examined the three humans. She remembered hunting the deer with Nelasier. They had spared the doe and fawn and had only killed the buck for his meat. This was almost the exact same situation; these humans were no threat to them, and there wasn't even a reason to kill the male. She brought her attention to the mother and her child. The way that other species reproduced was alien to her, particularly the fact that seemingly all of their females were fertile. She wondered what it would be like to bear Thoulux's child and help in raising it in the way that the humans did with their children. She processed all of these thoughts over the course of only a couple seconds before returning to the here and now.

She placed a hand on Thoulux's shoulder before he could make any move. _"Thoulux, we have no reason to kill these humans, and it would behoove us to leave immediately. Other guards will be on __their way, and we need to return to the hive." _

The warrior slowly lowered his claws, as he considered her suggestion. She was right; the humans posed no threat to them. He stepped toward the humans, and he could see, smell, and almost feel their fear. He tilted his head. It was so strange to stand so close to them without the intent to kill. He reached his powerful forearm out and used it to shove them not too gently aside so the he could get to the door behind them. He placed his hand on the door and pushed until the latch broke and the door swung open. Never did his gaze leave the terrified humans until he exited the building into the alleyway on the other side with Verexa right behind him. Before long, they were back on the other side of the fence and making their way back to the hive, just as the sun slowly made its way back toward the horizon once again.

...

Not long after the two xenomorphs had left the house, a group of guards entered only to find their dead comrade and give chase to his killers, who were already long gone. The occupants of the home were only able to tell them that the creatures had gone through the other door, which was obvious given its broken state. However, the guard that the alien creatures had killed happened to be one of the many who were notorious for taking advantage of the civilians, including the family that the aliens had spared. Therefore, had they known which way the creatures went, they probably would have lied about it anyways.

…

Donterus walked with purpose toward the queen's chamber. Along the way he passed several groups of enforcers, the massive praetorian not even acknowledging them as they stepped aside for him. He was perhaps the only being that they would allow into the inner sanctum at the moment, and while the heavy plated warriors would drive off any intruded foolish enough to attack the hive, they did well to stay out of Donterus's path. He stepped between the last line of guards into the queen's chamber itself, and bowed his head briefly in respect to her.

_**"I'm sure you're aware of the human vehicle that our patrols spotted on approach to our hive." **_said The Empress.

_"Of course, my queen. It should arrive by nightfall," _responded The Praetorian Guard.

_**"Very well. I entrust my own safety and that of the hive entirely to you. However, it is strange that the humans would send such a small group of their warriors. I want them to be taken alive. Once they've been subdued, I will personally interrogate one of them, and the rest shall serve as hosts. I will have The Praetorian Heir safeguarded here with me. The rest of the hive is yours to command until the conflict is over."**_

___"By your word, Empress." _With that, Donterus bowed his head once more and exited the queen's chamber. He let out a long and powerful screech, which resonated throughout the entire hive, as well as sending a telepathic call for every member of the hive to assemble for instruction. It didn't take long for everyone, save for the enforcers who were already tasked with guarding the inner sanctum, to gather around him in a large meeting chamber. They stood in absolute silence, ready to hear what he had to say and carry out is directive.

_"If you are not already aware, the hive is soon to be under attack by humans," _he began in a deep, authoritative voice. _"Primarily, we are to protect the queen at any cost. However, the humans have sent only a small number of their warrior, and the enforcers would be more than capable of handling them with ease on their own, should they reach the inner sanctum, which leads me to our secondary objective. The humans are to be taken alive to be used as hosts. I understand that this puts us further at risk. Therefore, we will remain within the hive and leave the outer perimeter empty."_

_ "Respected Praetorian, the humans would be allowed to enter the hive!" _a warrior near the front spoke out.

Donterus turned to face her. He clenched a fist, and his mouth formed a wicked grin. _"That's what I'm counting on,"_ he said coldly. _"Within the hive, we have every advantage against the humans." _The other xenomorphs immediately understood The Praetorian Guard's sound tactics. _"The sentries will be best suited for the task of hunting them down once there within the hive. Warriors and drones will stand by to assist as needed. Kill only if they reach the inner sanctum; otherwise, the queen decrees that they _must _be taken alive."_

Every xenomorph in the meeting chamber sent their acknowledgment to Donterus, who was satisfied at their willingness to accomplish the task ahead.

_"Let us defend what is ours and make preparations for the birth of our new brothers and sisters!" _the praetorian telepathically yelled while letting loose a booming roar. The other xenomorphs screeched their own battle cries even as they all scattered throughout the hive, crawling along the walls and ceilings of every tunnel and blending in perfectly with the pitch black resin. Within moments, the entire hive, usually buzzing with activity, became absolutely and completely still. One who didn't know better would likely assume that it was empty and dead. However, the hundreds of creature, all very much alive, waited ever so patiently for their enemy to arrive.

…

"This is it, boys: Freak City," Operative McGalister called to the rest of the special operations troops in the APC. A little over a kilometer away, he could see the massive dome structure that was the hive through the window. It was totally alien in appearance, and was like nothing he'd ever seen. McGalister shuddered a bit. He used to think extraterrestrials weren't real.

"Damn! That thing's huge! How many of 'em do you think live in there?" somebody asked.

"I don't plan on staying long enough to find out, that's for sure," said another.

McGalister took a deep breath and let it out, while driving the APC at a steady speed. "I'm with you on that. I say we bag the first one we see and then get back to base as soon as possible." A few murmurs of agreement answered him. After that, the only sounds that broke the silence between there and the hive were the sounds of weapons being prepared and the hum of the APC's engine. After a short while, Operative McGalister brought the vehicle to a halt a few dozen meters away from the hive's out shell and powered it down. "Alright, people, just like we said. Let's just grab the first one we come across and leave," he said in a poor attempt to motivate them. With the press of a button, the ramp descended, and two rows of nine black-clad soldiers each stormed up the slight hill toward the alien hive. The sun was now below the horizon, and the hive was completely and utterly dark, so each soldier flipped down his or her night vision goggles.

As they approached the nearest opening into what appeared to be a large tunnel system, McGalister felt a pit in his stomach and the hairs on the back of his neck stand up despite the heat. Something just didn't feel right, and he suddenly had a very bad feeling about this op.

…

Verexa and Thoulux sighted their home not too far away. The sun had set, and they were both happy to return. That was, until they noticed the stationary human vehicle just outside of the hive. It was exactly the same type of vehicle as the ones that had passed them on their way to the Citadel, complete with the Phoenix insignia.

_"Thoulux! Our hive is under attack!" _exclaimed Verexa.

_"Hurry, we need to help our siblings' defense!" _answered the warrior, and with that, they doubled their efforts toward the hive. Once again, the human interlopers brought conflict to the xenomorphs, and what the humans started, the xenomorphs would finish.

**Author's Note:**** Again, my sincere apologies for the long wait, but please trust me when I say that I will not be discontinuing this story prematurely. I also apologize if this chapter seemed a little bit rushed, and I'll probably rewrite it if necessary. I don't have an ETA for the next chapter, but at least we're making progress. Just bear with me, and as always, I really do appreciate all the views, reviews, comments, and PMs that I get about this story. More reviews and messages are always welcome!**

**I do not own anything in this story except the plot and characters.**


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